Time Trapped
by Polachew
Summary: Based on the Gravity Falls Time Stuck AU with a twist in which Mabel and Dipper are transported to the past, but separated from one another. They have to find their way back to their time, but most importantly have to find each other.
1. Chapter 1

**I was inspired to write this story when** **saisai-chan from tumblr brought up a very bight and brilliant idea where Dipper and Mabel are sent to the past in different timelines, and locations.**

 **The idea of this fanfic belongs to saisai-chan.**

 **Without further adieu, here is the story**

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Mabel's side

Bright gleams illuminated out of nowhere as an object was thrusted out of the light. After the object landed on the hard pavement, a girl was thrown out of the exact spot and dropped on her side right on top of the object. A shattering crack echoed in the girl's ears as she cringed in pain.

"Ow," she achingly cried. For a few seconds she lay where she had landed not wanting to get up. After those few moments, the girl forcefully pushed herself to sit up. A tad dazed, she sat there looking at her surroundings. Brick buildings and dark streets had replaced the town she came to grow fond of over the summer. There were no trees that confined the area; no woods that separated civilization from the supernatural. The familiar scenery of summer had been replaced with a ghostly and heavy fog that encased everything around it.

Then, as if she was whacked across the face with a bat, the truth hit her violently. She hesitantly trembled to her feet as she realized she wasn't where she thought she was.

"Dipper?" She whimpered. "Dipper! Please! Please say something!"

The girl began to pull at the roots of her hair as she frantically looked for the person she knew as her brother- even though she knew he wasn't there; she just didn't want to believe it.

It came to her just like the crack of thunder echoes after the blinding strike of lightning. The strike is what you see and what makes you realize what is happening, but the horrid sound of the thunder is what really tears you apart. And in this case, the lightning struck the girl.

She turned around to see the machine that had parted her from her family was bent and shattered. The loss of hope flooded into her bloodstream as she fell limp onto her knees.

"No," she whispered under her breath. She picked the device up and toyed with the buttons. Nothing.

Very silently, she allowed herself to fall to her side and quietly whimper.

She was alone now.

Mabel Pines wasn't in Gravity Falls anymore; she wasn't in the summer of 2012- she was lost.

But if she wasn't in Gravity Falls, then where could she be?

~time skip~

It was chilly outside and the wind began to pick up. Mabel laying around wasn't helping her get warmer, so she decided to find some sort of shelter. She forced herself to stop crying and get herself together.

After walking for what seemed like years, she settled down near a red car that seemed a little familiar and leaned her back against it. Thoughts circled and repeated in her mind. All she could think of was Dipper and the last words they had said to each other. They were so hurtful. She wondered if she would ever be able to see her friends again; Wendy, Soos, her parents, Stan... Dipper. Did he even want her back? What if he was still mad at her?

Mabel let her thoughts get the best of her. She pulled the collar to her sweater over her head and rolled into a ball. Small cries escaped her throat as her sweater began to soak in tears.

"Ahem," Mabel heard someone awkwardly clear their throat. She payed no attention to it at first, but after hearing it a second time, she realized it was aimed towards her.

She lifted her head out of her sweater to look at the unknown person. He was in ragged, old, sweaty clothes and his mullet hair was messy. His sweater seemed worn and filthy. Rings circled beneath the man's eyes as he stared down at her. In his hand, he was carrying a paper bag that seemed to be filled with food.

Immediately, her eyes grew wide as she recognized something in this person. His strong jaw; his hard stare; his voice; it all made sense. Thoughts of possibilities of this being her Grunkle Stan interrupted her sadness. Shock was painted in every corner of her face.

"Hey, kid, you're kinda in my way," he said giving the car behind Mabel a glance.

Mabel stared at this man in hope and amazement, but he seemed to think otherwise. He gave her a bored, hard stare. He looked upon her as if she were an annoyance.

Mabel paid no attention to his non welcoming expressions. Her sudden thrill of hope caused her to ignore it. Still she stared with no reply.

The man obviously began to become annoyed with this random girl. His eyebrows furrowed a bit and his frown narrowed.

"Get outta here," he frowned raising his voice. "I gotta get to my car. Skadattle! Go! Shoo!"

Mabel began to slowly rise from the ground with no response. As she rose, the man's face changed from angry, to a 'damn right she listened to me' stare.

Once fully up, Mabel looked him in the eye without taking one step. Her actions caused this mystery man to become irritated with her. He gave her another harsh stare before reaching his hand out and pushed her to the side.

Mabel watched as his hand came in contact with her shoulder and pushed her away from him. She watched as he crawled into his vehicle and started the engine.

"Wait!" Mabel yelled at him through his rolled down window.

"She speaks," he replied in boredom. He was obviously tired of her already. He readied himself to drive away.

"No, please, I need your help," she said with a pleading look. "I'm lost."

The man rolled his eyes and tried his best to ignore the poor girl.

"Look, kid, I can't help ya. If you're lost, go to a police station. They'll help you more than I ever can."

"You don't understand," Mabel argued. "Please, I really need you."

Shocked, her words hit him like a bullet. No one has ever said something like that to him. No one except for his brother. Shame crawled under his skin as he realized how hopeless this girl is and how rude he has been to her.

He softened his voice and choice of words as he spoke to this unfamiliar girl.

"Look, I-I'm sorry, but I just can't help you," He pitifully said as he began to roll his window up.

"Please, no! I'm begging you! Please, please, please," she cried banging onto the glass as it muffled her voice.

He gave her a sorrowful stare as his car began to drive forward. Before looking away from the girl, he was able to capture a glimpse of a tear trickling down the girl's cheek.

"No, you can't think like that Stanley," he thought to himself. "There is no way that you're able to take care of a little girl like her. You don't even know her."

Her last words played over in his mind as he remembered that tear swell in her eye and plummet down her cheek. Guilt. It was hitting him hard. But why is he even feeling guilt? It's not like he could do anything. Could he?

"Damn it!" He grunted as he swerved his vehicle around. He eagerly and closely watched the streets for the bright pink sweater that the girl had worn.

Finally, after a few minutes of searching, he spotted a pink color that caught his attention. He pulled up in front of her body. She was curled up into a ball at the curb..

When his car stopped near her, she looked up and saw what used to be frustration, has now turned into compassion. He rolled his window down and unlocked the doors.

Hope flooded Mabel's soul as she heard the words she was dreaming she would hear.

"Why don't you hop in? I could give you a ride somewhere- but that's it. Okay?"

Mabel wiped away her tears as a huge grin covered every inch of her face. She gratefully skipped to the door and jumped into the car.

"Stanley Pines," he said holding out his right hand once Mabel was settled in. At those words, Mabel's face lit up even more. It really was her uncle! Out of anyone she could have come across in a different time, it's the young version of her great uncle. Man is she lucky.

"Mabel P-" she replied gripping into his extended hand, but stopped her introduction mid sentence. Mabel hesitated as she tried to process if it was a good idea to mention her last name. "It's Mabel."

Dipper's side

Sparks of light gleamed. It shone brighter than the light reflecting off of the fresh, powder-like, winter snow. Not long after the mysterious light appeared, it disappeared- only, it left something behind.

On the ground, was a boy. He had fallen out of the unusual glow as his body caved into three inches of fresh snow. From shock of the sudden coldness, he bounced up onto his feet where the icy mounds of white winter could not come in contact with his skin, but only skinned his ankles.

"Ah! That's cold. That's really cold," he complained as he folded his arms together for warmth. He looked around his surroundings into the fogged landscape that was blurred by the presence of the falling snowflakes.

Something was missing. Though, more someone than something

"Mabel?" He yelped after realizing she wasn't with him. "Mabel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. Please come out."

Nothing.

After what seemed like hours of waiting for a reply, Dipper Pines had come to a bitter and hard to believe conclusion. He had been parted from his sister by time. How could he get back to her-Back to his time? The time machine they were fighting with was not in his possession. The only person who could possibly have it was Mabel, but he had no clue of where she could be. He doesn't even feel certain he is in Gravity Falls any more.

The frigid air was chilling to his body as he stood in the open. He rapidly shuddered, for the cold was too bitter for his summer wear. His clothes grew wet from the melted snow that came in contact with his skin, and the frosty chills that swept through caused his teeth to ache each time he opened his mouth.

White frost overlapped the branches of the many trees that surrounded him. They blended perfectly with the snow that covered the ground. The white horizon gave the boy not a clue to where he could be and where he could go.

But knowing he had to do something or he would die of hypothermia if the wild animals didn't get to him first, he picked a direction and treaded on forward. Every step he took, his feet sank into the snow causing his shoes and socks to grow soaked from the melted ice. Achingly sore from how numb they tended to be, his feet felt as if they could not be used any longer; but he had to get to shelter before he could rest.

Dipper tried to think of other things rather than how frigid the temperature was, but all he could bring up was the last things he had said to his sister. He didn't mean it; he didn't mean any of it. But what guilt tripped him most was the pained and hurt expression his Mabel had given him.

After a moment, Dipper felt his face warm up as his nose grew hot. Something formed in his eye as his vision began to blur. He was crying. He immediately wiped the tears away and tried to think of something other than his current thoughts; but they were so vivid, they were hard to ignore.

Dipper searched for hope and optimism, but found it hard to find knowing that the only person who could supply that wasn't with him. One of his main sources of happiness was far away from his reach. Gone.

Suddenly, stopping dead in his tracks, Dipper heard a sound in the distance. He could not tell if it was the sound of an animal or of something that could possibly save his life. He silently listened closely, but could only hear the rapid beats of his heart pulsating in his chest. Hope, yet fear at the same time readied him for what was to come next.

Quiet. Silent. Then, again the sound rumbled and roared. Only, this time, the noise resembled a familiar sound. At first, Dipper could not put his finger on it, but after a moment, he realized it was the sound of an engine.

Before he was able to process what he could do, he found himself dashing towards the echoes. He didn't know what he was doing or thinking, but he had to get to that mysterious sound no matter the conditions. It was his only chance.

Dashing to the end of the woods, he finally reached where there were no longer any trees. A dirt path stretched ahead of him as he watched an old brown shaded car zoom past him and down that dirt road. Looking to his left, he noticed a house that stood new and sharp. It seemed very familiar but then again, he was so desperate for home, just about everything convinced him he had found a clue to get back.

Slowly, he approached the wooded structure. The closer he came, the more he was able to recognize. There were a few small differences from the place he had resided in for the past two-and-a-half months, but he could pick out what had stayed the same. The porch, the window in the attic, the structure itself.

He stepped onto the porch and raised his closed hand to knock on the door- but he stopped. Dipper hesitantly pulled his hand away from the door.

What would he say to whoever is living there. According to Grunkle Stan's story of his past, Great uncle Ford should be residing in this very building. But, he wasn't sure. Even if his Grunkle Ford lives there, what would Dipper, his great nephew from the future, tell him. His great uncle wouldn't believe him if he told the truth. But if he doesn't confess, there is no way a paranoid man would welcome a random boy he had never met before into his home.

After fighting with his thoughts, Dipper finally built up the courage to knock on the door. He knocked onto the wood and waited. Nothing.

"Was that him that passed me a while ago?" He thought. "Did I miss him?"

A moment passed by as he wondered if he was doing the right thing. He brought his hand up again once more to thump his palm on the door, when it suddenly swung open from the inside, revealing a middle aged man.

Dipper gasped and jumped back to this sudden action.

"Fiddleford!" He yelled out the door once opening before realizing there was no one there but a small boy. He stared down at him with a confused expression.

"What are you doing here, kid? Haven't you seen the signs that surround this area? They command others keep out."

"N-n-no, sir," Dipper was able to let out barely realizing the house was barricaded by barbed wire and many efforts to keep trespassers out.

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm lost. I have no clue to where anyone is, and I don't know where to go; I'm freezing, and I don't know what to do," Dipper said. He felt happy that he was able to get those words out of him with no stumble whatsoever.

"Are you asking me if you could stay in my home?" He said showing the obvious answer on his expressions.

"Could I? I have nowhere to go."

"Town is less than a mile down." He advised. "There will be a police station on the right of a building called 'Greasy's Diner'. Go there."

"Wait," Dipper stopped him. "I-I-I-," he stumbled for his words, before heaving a deep sigh. "If there's anyone in this town that I'd want to help me, it surely wouldn't be those police officers." He said thinking of deputy Durland and sheriff Blubs wondering if they were even cops at this time.

The man stared him down, taking note on this vulnerable child's words, and noticed his clothes were not meant for this season. Too much of his skin was exposed and his wear seemed as if it were meant for the warmer seasons. He sighed knowing he couldn't back down.

"Do you have a name?"

"Dipper. My name is Dipper," he replied holding out his shaky hands.

"Stanford Pines," the man said gripping onto the boy's trembling palm. Once Dipper's hand came in contact to his, Stanford noticed how freezing it was compared to his own. A pang of compassion hit him as he realized this kid was exposed and defenseless. He had to help him. Even if it was just a little bit.

"Why don't you come in?" Stanford suggested opening some room for the boy to pass through. "You'll get a cold if you stay out here any longer."

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed this beginning. Stay tuned for the second chapter which will be coming very soon. if you liked, favorite, follow, and leave a review, and I'll see you later!**


	2. Chapter 2

Mabel's side

"Where're you from?" Stanley asked as he began to pull off of the side of the road. The car began to uncontrollably wobble from the bumps on the road that seemed to be poorly done. After a moment, they were off of the bumps and into a smooth drive.

"I'm from Piedmont, California," Mabel responded as she stared out of the window. Building by building, she past by as the speed of the car began to pick up. Soon they were zooming past probably above speed limit, but she didn't mind. It reminded her of how rebellious Stan was to the laws in her time. She felt a little bit closer to home with him; even if Stan didn't know who she was.

"California?" He asked. "How the heck did you get lost all the way over here?"

Once said, Mabel finally noticed that she had no idea of where she was. She obviously wasn't in Gravity Falls. But exactly how far away was she from her summer home?

"Yeah," she awkwardly laughed. She was almost embarrassed to ask her question not sure of how Stan would react. "Where exactly is here?"

"You don't know where you are? How'd you get here in the first place?" He questioned looking out into the road ahead of him.

"Well, it's kinda a long story."

Moments passed by while the car filled with nothing but the silence of Mabel and Stan. The sound of the car's tires rolling atop the pavement path was the only thing that could be heard.

Mabel thought for a second of how she had gotten here. One second she was fighting with Dipper, the next she is transported away from her time, home, and family. She found it incredibly hard to believe that this is how things were now; this is how things were going to be from now on, and she is helpless to change this. There was nothing she could do, especially since her only way of transportation was broken and unusable. Her fingers fiddled and caressed the machine hidden in her sweater; out of Stan's view.

She didn't know what she would do, especially when Stan decides he has to let her go. Stan couldn't take care of her forever; Mabel knew that more than anything, but she tried her best to keep that thought away from her, not wanting to confront it when the time comes. But the time will come, and Mabel knew it would. She stared up at Stan who was concentrating on the road.

She studied his features and took note of the ragged clothes that hung loose from his limbs; the unkempt hair; the beaten expression his face wore. He seemed to have been through tedious and harsh times. The tiredness in his eyes showed the challenges he had faced. Mabel then realized that no matter how big her problems were, he had his obstacles as well. He didn't have a lot of money. The closest thing he could call his home was his car, which was littered with scraps of junk food, clothes, products, and other useless materials. He could barely even afford to take care of himself- and now he had gotten himself into taking a random girl off the streets and putting her under his wing.

"You okay, kid?" Mabel heard Stan say, breaking her from her observation before realizing she had been staring at him longer than she had intended.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare. I was just... thinking," Mabel apologized. "Stan?" She asked after some thought.

"Yeah."

"Why did you let me come with you?"

A very brief silence broke between the two. Stan didn't really have a way of answering her question, for he didn't know exactly why he had taken her in.

"I don't know, kid," Stan responded. "I guess... I don't know, I guess I just felt I had to."

Mabel silently nodded as she took in what Stan had said.

A feeling.

Mabel said nothing else knowing she didn't want to upset him with an explosion of questions that could bring back heart wrenching memories. She knew it wasn't a very bright idea to question him. He had been through pretty heartbreaking and intense stuff; mentioning anything about his past could tear him apart.

The uncomfortable silence that filled the atmosphere had returned as Mabel and Stan looked out of the glass windows that were placed on all sides of the automobile. Mabel watched out of the glass to notice that her surroundings outside of the car became less blurred as the vehicle began to slow down. She gave a quick side glance to Stan who was leaning into the wheel and closely peering out of the window as if he were searching for something.

Mabel cluelessly watched as Stan slowly pulled into a parking lot and parked his vehicle into an empty parking space. Ahead of them was a building that held a sign showing it was a diner. Mabel then noticed that it was the only building in the area that seemed to be open.

"What are we doing?" Mabel asked as she watched Stan put the car in park and press the button that released his seatbelt to spring back to where it came from.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself over some milkshakes?" He suggested. Mabel instantly answered his suggestion with a wide smile as it began to spread across her face. She speedily pulled her seatbelt off of her desperate to get inside for a milkshake.

Mabel was already at the diner entrance by the time Stan closed the driver door to his car. She waited as he walked to the door and opened it. A small gust of a warm wind hit Mabel with a pleasant summery feeling as she stepped into the diner. Her goosebumps- which were created from the frigid temperature outside- were shooed away by the presence of the summer, feminine her of Gravity Falls. A sudden sadness hit Mabel as memories pounded onto the walls of her skull, but she pushed it back knowing this is how things were now.

They walked into the diner together noticing only two other costumers in the building. They walked into the area feeling a very homely, yet dirty atmosphere. Cracked boards and spiderwebs littered the ground and walls. It felt almost like Greasy's diner back in Gravity Falls.

Mabel picked a booth out of the many empty ones to sit in. The one she sat down at was a little torn and had layers of tape in effort to cover the tears on the cushions. Stan followed and sat down in front of Mabel. She gave him a warm smile of excitement after Stan settled comfortably in the seat. He replied to her excitement with a small delighted smile.

"When was the last time you've had a milkshake?" He asked with a small smirk showing at the edges of his lips.

"Not that long ago," Mabel replied. "Probably about a week ago."

A blonde haired woman who seemed to be in her late 30's suddenly appeared in front of the booth as Stan prepared to speak. She had a blue apron on, and her hair was weaved into a braid that swung off the back of her head.

"Hello, I'm Marline. What can I do for y'all today?" The woman asked while pulling out a notepad.

"Um, the girl will have the small classic milkshake, and a slice of cherry pie for me," Stan said eyeing throughout the one sided menu that lie on the table.

Mabel looked to the woman as she scribbled their orders on the small notepad.

"A small milkshake and slice of cherry pie will be coming right up," she said as she ripped the note off of the pad and stuffed it into her apron. She walked away from the booth and into a door that had a sign for employees only.

"So, about you," Stan said turning to Mabel after the waitress left. "Tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"For one, I want to know how you got here and I also need to know how to take you home,"Stan insisted.

"Um, let's see," Mabel whispered under her breath trying to carefully pick out what she could confess. "I-I um, I got here because I got in a fight with my brother," she said. She was telling the truth. A fight with her brother got her there.

She looked up from the table to see Stan looking at her with saddened eyes. He heaved a huge sigh and looked away from Mabel and into his lap with a pained expression.

"Did you, like, run away because of the fight? Or..." He finally spoke.

"No! No! Of course not," Mabel defended. She would never run away just because if a fight she had with Dipper. All siblings fight. And she was his sister. She needed to be there for him. Even if he did hurt her. But, then again, she hurt him as well.

"Well, if you didn't run away, then how could you have gotten from California to Oklahoma? You know, kid, you're really mixin' me up. All this information you're givin' me doesn't make sense when put together." Stan said.

Before Mabel could defend her explanations, a tray popped in between her and Stan, blocking their faces from each other. She looked to the side to see Marline standing in front of the booth with their desired orders.

"A classic milkshake for the little lady and a cherry pie for you. Would you like anything else?" The woman said plopping the plate and cup down onto the table.

"No ma'am we're good. Thank you," Stan said.

"No problem, hun."

"It's really hard to explain," Mabel attempted to justify herself after the waitress left them alone. Mabel found it really hard to explain herself when everything Stan wanted to know would give her away. "I don't think you'll understand." Mabel buried her head into the dark cave her arms formed for her. "And for the second question, I don't really know how I could get home. It's kinda impossible."

"It's not impossible. If you found a way to get here, then there's a way to get back," Stan said digging into his slice if pie with a plastic fork. He seemed a tad bit more invested in the pie rather than the girl for this moment. He cut a piece off of the end of the pie and stabbed the cut off piece a few times with the fork assuring it didn't fall off when he went to take a bite.

Mabel's head shot up from under the cave of hopelessness her arms provided as she let Stan's words sink in. "You're right!" She perked up.

"Of course I am," Stan commented before taking another bite of the pie.

Mabel felt so blind. She didn't even realize what she could do to get home. She had found Stanley Pines for goodness sake! Twin brother of Stanford Pines, one of the smartest people on Earth. He could find a way a way to get her home. He could probably help repair the time machine in no biggy. Surely Stan could take her to him. It's her only chance at getting back to her time.

"Stan," Mabel said as serious as she could, but couldn't help but grin like an idiot from her excitement. "What year is it?"

A tad confused, Stanley looked upon this girl as if she had just gone crazy and there was no longer any hope of getting her where she needed to be. "Uh, 1982-"

"1982!" Mabel yelled out causing a commotion in the quiet area. What little people there was stopped and stared at Mabel. "Thirty years... Stan... Gravity Falls..." She thought only saying some words aloud in her thinking.

"Hey, kid? Are you alrig-"

"I know how to get home!" Mabel squealed thrusting her fist onto the table causing the table to shake with a loud thump.

"That's great. Where do I need to drop you off at?" Stan asked pushing his plate to the side. All that was left on it was many crumbs and the slimy gel substance that is created when the pie is baked.

Mabel didn't move and Stan didn't either. They did nothing but stare hard into each other's eyes for quite a long moment. Not blinking even once, Mabel's stare was more intense than Stan's which made him a tad uncomfortable.

"I need you to take me to Oregon," Mabel finally responded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I just want to thank all of those who followed, favorited, and most importantly, left a review. It really helps to know what you guys think about this story. So if you have any advice, suggestions, or simply just a comment, feel free to leave a review. i love to read them!**

 **I have decided that i will update either every Monday or every other Monday. The updates will depend on my level of laziness.**

 **So without further interruption, here is chapter 3.**

Dipper's side

Dipper Pines shivered his way into the home of Stanford Pines. No warm air pushed into his skin as he entered. The house was just as cold as it was outside even without the pelting snow and the small gusts of wind.

His first step in the house led into an entranceway that was littered with crumbled pieces of paper. He scanned the walls wishing the atmosphere the house felt more like a home instead of a prison. Although the feeling was very small, he was able to feel more as if he were back in his summer home, which pleased him.

Just as Dipper remembered, he was able to pick out the stairs that would lead to him and his sister's room, the tv room, and the room that would soon be Grunkle Stan's office.

At this point Dipper had no clue to how he thought he should feel about coming here. He felt a small spark of joy knowing that this is the place he had been spending his summer, and that he has made his most precious memories in this very structure.

However, he felt gloom throb at his heart knowing that this isn't the shack he knew, and he isn't with the ones he had grown to be so fond of. He didn't know much about Ford except of what Stan informed and that he was the author of the journals. And his expressions didn't seem very inviting, for his stare was hard and serious.

He felt nervous for he is now temporarily under the wing of his role model, however, Ford doesn't know of Dipper's true identity and only looks upon him as a kid that will come and go. But Dipper can't come and go. He doesn't have anywhere to go. He has no family except for Ford and Stan at this point in time. Of course there was Mabel, but she was absolutely out of the question due to the fact that she- they weren't even alive yet in this timeline. And who knows where Stan could be. Ford is the only one he could rely on.

A very stressed and introverted atmosphere lingered as Dipper tried not to step on the mess of papers that covered the floor.

"Come with me," Stanford said placing his hand on Dipper's back. He guided the boy into a room that was familiar at first sight. What was remembered as the family room was previously a room filled with nothing but research. Once they reached the end of the room, Ford let go of Dipper and turned to a mound of papers in the corner of the room.

Dipper stood watching with his arms tightly folded against his chest for warmth as Ford silently threw the papers onto the floor revealing what was hidden beneath. Small bits of cushion could be seen with every swipe Ford made to finally reveal a small couch. "Sorry for the mess. I obviously wasn't expecting anyone whatsoever."

"It's okay. I-I kinda came unexpected."

Stanford's sudden change in expression surprised Dipper. His weary and unwelcoming eyes softened and a light smile broke on the crease of his lips.

"Why don't you have a seat."

Dipper shuffled his frigid body to the couch and sat on the hard cushion. The leather covering was just as cold as he expected but he could not feel much for his skin was encased with a numb feeling.

"D-Do you have any blankets or anything to cover up?" Dipper asked while huffing warm breaths into his palms.

"Hm," Ford said glancing around the room. "There should be some around this house. I'll be right back. Stay here and don't touch anything." He commanded with a serious tone; returning back into his previous expressions.

Watching him walk out of the room, Dipper sat uncomfortably on the couch with his hands between his legs to keep them warm. He scanned the floor and the walls looking for something that could give him a clue to anything that could be helpful.

He was in the middle of his search when an incredibly faint and familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Dipper!" Came a feminine voice from what seemed to come from upstairs. "Come here, Waddles just said your name perfectly!"

"Mabel!" Dipper hesitantly whispered under his breath whilst jumping to his feet. He stared at the ceiling in hope for more words from his sister. He was seconds away from bolting up the stairs to what should be his room only to realize it was all in his head.

After his bitter realization, Dipper stumbled back to the couch and plumped his small and frail body onto it.

Does he miss them that much? To the point where he is starting to hear voices?

Dipper stared at the floorboards without any movement. "This is all my fault," he thought to himself. "If I hadn't been so cranky and rude I would still be home with everyone else. With Mabel."

Again, he began to notice his face grow hot. His nose tingled as he felt his eye swell with an emotional liquid. Dipper didn't resent the tears this time. He let them fall. Wet drops of tears trickled down his cheeks and onto his clothes. Small and faint hiccups shook his body as he let himself cry.

"Are you okay, Dipper?" Came a sudden voice.

Dipper jolted his attention to the source of the voice to see Ford juggling with some supplies at the entrance of the room.

"I... I'm fine. I just... I really miss my family," Dipper let out. He finally wiped away the tears that were forming in his eyes and disturbed the wet rivers on his cheeks.

Stanford awkwardly stay standing not knowing what to do. He was never really great at comforting others. Stanley did most of the comforting in his youth. You would have figured Ford would have picked up some experience from his brother by now. Especially from all of the times the school bullies and older kids tormented him with hurtful words and painful punches for being a 'Nerdy six-fingered freak' as they called him; Stanley always provided protection and comfort when Ford needed it most. Yet, when it came to him using his brother's strategies-not that he actually ever used them- the words simply always slipped from his mouth as a statement rather than a consoling speech.

Nonetheless, how was he supposed to comfort a child who he had only met a few minutes ago?

"Uh, well, you will get back to your family. I guarantee it," Ford attempted to assure with an enthusiastic smile. Just as he thought, his words were no more comforting than a boot kicked to the stomach.

Dipper didn't lighten up as easily as Ford had hoped. He still sat on the couch with a saddened and glum expression painted on every inch of his face. He didn't look up but only kept his gaze on the floor sniffing every few seconds.

Not knowing what else he could do to help the boy, Stanford gave him the supplies he had gathered. He threw an old quilted blanket over the boy's pale body and handed him a cup of warm coffee.

Once taking the supplies, Dipper shared a forced smile with Ford and began using his supplies to his advantage. He grabbed the quilted blanket and wrapped it snug around himself, and he cradled the hot cup of coffee as he took a sip of it. Dipper slowly drank the sweet substance as a warm chill swept through him starting from his throat. He scrunched his face, a little taken aback from the sudden unfamiliar taste of coffee before taking another sip, enjoying the warmth it provided his body. He was never allowed to drink coffee, him and his sister- really only Mabel- usually just used her creation of 'Mabel juice' as a substitute for anytime they needed any extra energy. And to be honest, coffee tasted way better than Mabel juice.

"I don't really have anything other than coffee at this moment." Ford said apologetically. "I hope you don't mind."

Dipper stared up at him, looking above the cup he held above his mouth, and answered with a thankful glimmer in his eyes. He felt comfort for the first time since he was taken away from his time. But once he was engulfed with the warm, he began to notice exhaustion empower his body. He wanted to close his eyes and never wake up, but before he could rest his weary head, Ford pulled up a stool in front of him and sat down.

"Listen, boy, if you are going to stay here you need to know some ground rules," he said gaining Dipper's attention.

Dipper did nothing but stare at the man waiting for more to come.

"In the other room there is a staircase that leads downstairs. Never go there. Do you understand? I am conducting an experiment that does not need any meddling with." Ford commanded with authoritative order. "You must also not interfere with me whilst I am working. If you need any help you can save it for after I am done with my research."

"Yes, sir."

"And last but not least, you mustn't touch any of my research. Do not meddle with anything but what I am giving you to meddle with. For all I know, you could be a helper of the government. I do not know why I let you stay here in an environment like this but I better not regret it. Got it?"

Dipper innocently nodded his head still cradling himself in the warm supplies Ford gave him.

"Very well. Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I want to focus on you." He said with a hint of interest in his eyes. "So... Dipper... Do you have a last name?"

Dipper stared almost through Ford with a blank expression. Oh god. He hadn't thought about that. What was he going to say?

"I... I- uh..." He hesitated leaving Ford curiously waiting. "Why do you want to know?"

Ford was taken back by his answer. "Well," he started. "Don't you think it would be easier for me to locate your family if I knew your origin?"

Dipper slightly nodded not saying a word.

"Besides, I let you into my home; considering you don't quite have my trust. The least you could do is tell me about yourself. And don't worry, I'm not a psychopathic murderer. I'm just here to help."

"I'm sorry... I'm just not comfortable giving that information out just yet." He lamely excused himself. He knew Ford wasn't stupid. Ford was obviously the opposite of stupid and he knew his decision to rebuff Ford's question of something as little as a last name would cause suspicion. But it was important to keep his identity hidden. At least for now.

Ford eyed the boy down. From the beaten blue and white hat he wore atop his head to his wet and abraded black shoes. Something didn't seem right about this kid, but with no further look into it, Ford pushed away his suspicion. Of course this was just a child. So vulnerable and defenseless, or at least he thought. Again, he didn't know the boy. The sooner he could get rid of him, the better.

"Very well then," he sighed pushing his glasses to his forehead as he rubbed the bride his nose. "I won't force you to talk about things you aren't comfortable saying. I will need that information eventually, but for now, tell me what you want that could help. And I want only the truth." A fierce and commanding tone escaped his throat. "What do I need to know?"

"Maybe that I'm from the future and I'm also your great nephew," Dipper thought to himself. All the information Dipper couldn't say was the key to get him home.

"Well, I'm from Piedmont, California, and I'm 12 years...old..."

Suddenly, Dipper began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Eyes beginning to throb from trying to regain focus, his head ached with pain as his eyelids felt as though they weighed a ton. He repeatedly blinked trying to shake this feeling from him.

"... Uh, Ford? I-I don't feel so good."

With one last blink, Dipper found himself not able to open his eyes. Nothing but black encased his vision as he could slowly feel his conscience slip into a void of his mind.

0o0o0

 _"I can't believe you didn't press it." Dipper's voice rang in his own head. He closed the door to their room after letting his sister pass through._

 _"Press what? The button?" Mabel's voice responded. After that long and exhausting day, Mabel crawled into her bed and lay down with a sigh she seemed to be keeping in since she woke._

 _"Of course the button!" He fiercely whispered._

 _"What are you so mad about, Dipper?" Mabel asked noticing the anger in his tone. Was he joking? Why would he be angered by something that did them good? "We got our long lost Grunkle back. And he's the author of the journals. Isn't that what you wanted?" Mabel tiredly laughed._

 _"What I wanted? What I wanted doesn't matter right now. You could've destroyed the world!"_

 _"But I didn't."_

 _Mabel wasn't sure what to make of Dipper's behavior. She wanted to believe he was only messing with her, but something deep in her gut told her this wasn't going to end in rainbows and kittens._

 _"Well, the fact that you were willing to is enough to show that you trust Grunkle Stan more than you do me," Dipper snapped._

 _"What? You know that's not true!" Mabel sat up from her position in a hurry. Things were serious, and she quickly caught on._

 _"Then why didn't you press the button? Huh? After everything we saw, you still didn't press that button." Dipper still stood at the door almost glaring at Mabel._

 _"Where are you getting this from, Dipper?"_

 _"I've done so many things for you to keep you happy this summer; I sacrificed so many things for you. And what do I get in return? Nothing."_

 _"Sacrificed?" Mabel questioned. Exactly what have you sacrificed?"_

 _"Are you seriously asking me that?" Dipper bitterly laughed with a scornful expression. "I gave up the coolest job ever just so you could help out one of your daily crushes."_

 _"That was for the greater good." She argued. "He needed that help. It was the right thing to do. You know that!"_

 _"Oh really." Dipper shot back almost immediately. "Just like that puppet show you did?"_

 _Mabel cowered her head in instant guilt. Dipper noticed her shame as he tried to take advantage of it; not taking account of how she might have felt. He carried on with his explanation hoping to boost his chances of proving his point._

 _"I was possessed by a lunatic demon for god's sake! I was almost killed because I was too busy trying to help you, and you didn't even help me; because you were too caught up in a stupid boy, rather than even considering my need of help." Dipper yelled trying hard not to bring back too much of that horrible memory. Dipper stomped to his bed with the feet of a goat and sat atop his mattress. Stan and Ford could've probably heard their conversation at this point, but Dipper didn't care. He was angry and he was hoping everyone knew he was._

 _During his commotion, he noticed an object drop to the wooden floor with a thud. He looked to the floorboards to see the time machine gained from defeating and sparing Blenden Blanden during Globnar. Upon seeing this object, Dipper picked it up with furrowed eyebrows. "And don't forget that time I gave up all of my hard work for your pig." He reminded swinging it in the air. "Do you think I did all of that for myself?"_

 _"And do you think I don't feel bad or appreciate it all?" Mabel cried lowering her defenses._

 _"Mabel, we're siblings; family, and family is supposed to be able trust each other."_

 _"Are you saying what I think you're saying? That I don't trust you? Dipper, I've known you my whole life! Of course I trust you. If anything, I trust you more than I trust myself. So stop saying that! And what do you think Stan is? He's family, so I had every right to trust him."_

 _"But I'm your brother!" Dipper yelled, annoyed he wasn't getting to her. "And you know what? Sometimes I wish I wasn't." He bitterly whispered under his breath but making sure Mabel heard it clearly._

 _Mabel gave a torn expression towards her brother in disbelief. Her hurt emotions mixed as anger suddenly and bitterly overwhelmed her._

 _"Well, I wish we were never siblings!" she quickly shot back. "If you don't think I trust you, then maybe you don't deserve my trust. How could you treat me like this?" She quickly slumped to her feet and reached to Dipper, snatching the time machine out of his hand._

 _Too late to react, Dipper watched as Mabel almost flew to the other side of the room with the time measure and held it up in the air. "If you wish we didn't know each other so badly," she said choking back sobs. Although her voice seemed fierce, her face was broken into a sloppy mess of tears, which Dipper did not seem to notice through his anger, "then why don't you just go back and make that happen?" She asked holding up the machine almost threatening to use it._

 _"Hey! Put that down! You'll break it!" Dipper argued, chasing Mabel to the end of the room and cornered her into the wall._

 _Being a millimeter taller than her brother, Mabel had an advantage to keep the object barely above his reach as she kept her foot to his stomach; pushing him away. Despite the force Mabel's foot pushed, Dipper managed to get a grip onto the time measure, using his strength to rip it back into his possession._

 _"No! You can't tell me what to do!"_

 _Mabel pulled back at Dipper's force with a strong firm grip; refusing to let go._

 _"I already feel bad about that stuff, Dipper," she cried pulling against Her brother's force, for the two were stuck in a bitter game of tug 'o war, "and you aren't making me feel any better about it. I made the right choice! You just don't see it because you're selfish!"_

 _"I'm selfish?!" He yelled back, anger flooding his veins. "You have no right saying I'm the selfish one!"_

 _With one final tug, Dipper pulled at it again with all the strength his small body was able to give as he lost his grip; causing him to fall to the floor. His back violently hit the ground as Mabel did the same. For a few seconds, Dipper could not breathe; feeling as if the wind was knocked strait from his lungs. He panicked as he struggled to manage even a single breath._

 _"Dipper..." he heard Mabel say in a panicked whisper. "... Don't. Move..."_

 _Not being able to process her words from his pain, he only groaned. He rolled to his side heaving painful breaths. Just as he turned sides, a sickening sound of metal clashing rang in his ears before hearing a snap. Dipper froze with stiff shoulders before quickly glancing to the sound, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was._

 _With wide eyes, he looked up to see Mabel standing frozen in horror as a bright light rapidly engulfed her body. She stared at him with her mouth agape and fear in her eyes._

 _"Mabel!" Dipper was able yell despite the pain to speak. To his horror, and as quickly as he could, he stumbled to his feet before flinging himself towards his sister's luminously encased body._

 _Eyes closed, Dipper was able to feel the cozy sweater Mabel wore in his hand before feeling no more of it. As if it- she magically disappeared._

 _... I'm sorry Mabel..._


	4. Chapter 4

Mabel's side

"Oregon?!" Stan doubted. "Do ya really expect me to take you all the way over there?" He asked opening the door to his car. Mabel climbed into the seat from the other side and pulled her seatbelt over her body while Stan forced himself into the driver's seat.

"Come on, it'll only be a few days," Mabel attempted to convince Stan. The chances of Stan taking her so far away to a place like Oregon were below her expectations, but it was the only shot she had to find her way back home. Oh... how much she longed for home. There was an old saying Mabel had heard ever since she was able to perceive the concept of words itself: "There is no place like home."

She had always used this phrase as an exaggeration such as just coming home from a long day at school; falling into the comfort of her mattress followed by her brother rushing in their room to put his school supplies away only to do the same. Or after arriving to their house after a long trip Mabel and her family had once taken to New York City. Of course her and her brother were asleep when they arrived into their driveway but just the feeling of her familiar surroundings welcomed her back nonetheless.

It was not until now that she realized how meaningful the phrase really is when you don't have a home to call yours. its not like she could barge into a random house, kick her feet on the sofa and drink a nice cup of milk. Right now, the closest thing she could even think of as a home, non-literal of course, was the man sitting next to her, but even he knows out of anyone how it feels to be a homeless man. Stan had his car but that wasn't even close to being thought of as a home, but more like an easy get away. He doesn't have anyone but himself and his 'wits' to even function in his method of survival.

If there is anything Mabel is determined to do, it would be to find her way back. She **IS** going to get back home. Mabel was sure of it. She couldn't stay in this time, even if she stayed with someone she knew; but who knows how long that would last before she's on her own again. She needed to get back to her Grunkle Stan, her parents, and Dipper. Mabel couldn't be without Dipper, and she was sure he couldn't be without her. So for now, it was her only determination.

"Nu-uh, no way!"

"Pretty, pretty please?" She fluttered her eyelids in a desperate attempt to woo his decision. She hadn't used that technique in a long time. She stopped using it when it no longer showed any affect on Dipper. Stan responded with and unimpressed and unconvinced stare.

Mabel's pleading expression fell upon Stan's unconvinced gaze knowing the only thing she was doing for herself was making herself look stupid.

"But... It's the only way," she sighed lowering her voice with every word spoken as Stan's lips tightened as if he were in thought. He painted an unsure and queasy expression on his face; looking down to his feet afterward.

Stan remained quiet as he slid the car key into its slot and turned the engine. He avoided eye contact with the little girl sitting next to him as he pulled out of the diner parking lot.

Mabel waited for a response from Stan as the car slowly exited into the open road. The car quickly moved into a smooth drive as the speed picked up.

She tried to look into and read the eyes that would not respond back, but of course, they showed no answer. "Are you gonna say something?" she asked deciding to break the wall of silence between the two. Stan only gave a small and quick glance to Mabel from his side before focusing on the road.

Again, silence pervaded the small area the car provided. Stan, with eyes laid strictly on the road ahead on him, acted as if he did not feel Mabel's eyes penetrating his existence.

Stan's stomach churned as he felt the girl look away from him. He could tell she had given up. Stan could almost feel her disappointment as her body slumped into the seat with a small huff through her nostrils.

He knew that feeling all too well. If he had one word to describe himself he felt it would be just that. A disappointment. He was a disappointment to his dad, his brother, and... And most definitely himself.

'You can't go one day without shaming our family can't you?' His father's voice rang in his own head. Pa Pines always spat cruel words to Stan because of the abilities he didn't have that his brother possessed, but he always shrugged his words off and never paid any mind to them. He learned to ignore them. At least until now. Being alone really makes you think; think of all the things you've done wrong; and only fantasize about what you could've done right.

"What am I doing," Stan sighed throwing his head into his hands. "I can't do this." He mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Mabel perking from her slumped position; thankful he at least said something. If there was anything Mabel hated more than the dark, it was silence. Stan took of what seemed like minutes to massage his eyeballs with the surface of his palm- looking up every once a few rubs to check on the road- as if when he stopped, all if his problems would magically disappear.

"I can't do this," he repeated with a louder and more aggravated tone. "I can't take you to Oregon: I can't take care of you. I didn't think this through. I have no house; no money; and no chance of being able to care for... For even myself."

Stan glared towards Mabel, causing her stomach to drop. She had never received any hurtful action from Stan. At least not from her time, and even though he did not know who she was, the fact that he was still the person she came to adore didn't make it hurt any less. It was only then that she realized the uninviting expression was not meant for her and almost for himself. She could see anger quickly plummet to hurt as his eyes narrowed to face the wheel.

"What are you saying?" Mabel questioned. She stared at him as she waited for an answer. In Mabel's mind she almost knew what he was going to say, and she tried to inch away from the thought of him leaving her in those few seconds Stan was silent.

"I'm sorry, kid..." He started. Mabel knew what was coming as her eyes widened and her eyebrows slanted. "But... I can't help you." Another upsetting and uncomfortable silence fell upon the two. Mabel sat in the seat with a pout on the rims of her lips as if the pout that always pulled her brother to agree with her would convince Stan otherwise. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them trying to process what she was going to do. What was Stan going to do? What was he going to do with her?

"I'm dropping you off at a police station. They could probably take you where ya need to go." He concluded turning the wheel as far as it could rotate as the vehicle began to slowly turn to the side.

Mabel immediately bounced to his words. Her eyes widened as she jumped towards the wheel and grabbed ahold of it. "No! You can't do that," she yelled.

"Kid, let go of the wheel! This isn't up for discussion." He slapped Mabel's hand away, but she held on firm.

"I don't care! I'm not going with the police! I wanna go with you!" Mabel persisted; pulling down at the wheel, the car spun out of control losing its balance on the road. Stan immediately stomped his foot onto the brakes causing Mabel and himself to be thrusted forwards as the vehicle halted to a stop. Mabel's seat belt prevented her from much damage, but Stan hadn't strapped himself in when getting into the car; something he didn't care to do since forever ago. Screeching tires rang as Stan's head flung towards the wheel, banging him above his right eye brow. Well, at least they were the only vehicle on the road.

"Ow! Dammit!" Stan yelped in pain covering his injury with his palm. "What the hell, kid!" Frustration overlapped the pain as he looked into the rearview mirror to get a look of the hit. Not being able to see much from the lack of light, and almost blinded by the pain he gave up in trying to mend himself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mabel cowered with an apology. She rubbed her neck where the seatbelt had pushed against her with a massive amount of force. For once it wasn't Stan who almost caused a crash due to reckless driving. She had almost missed the feeling of his driving though, no matter how dangerous.

Stan rubbed his face where he had been hit as he let off a pained cringe. "Let me see it." She offered help with her palm outstretched only about a foot ahead of her.

"I'm fine," he resented pushing her offer away with an annoyed flick of his wrist.

"Stan, let me see," Mabel demanded as a more serious tone replaced her plead of apologies.

Stan gave an intense yet unsure stare to Mabel before finally giving in with an aggravated sigh. Without a word Stan leaned forward and allowed Mabel to proceed in her offer of help. She pushed his unkempt hair away from his forehead to get a better look at the damage.

"It's a little hard to see in this lighting, but it looks like you're gonna bruise pretty bad," Mabel explained examining the injury as if she were suddenly an experienced nurse.

"Eh, I've been through worse," Stan responded glancing to the window with a visible bored expression; refusing to look at Mabel. She let off a small giggle showing a small gleam of metallic braces from her well known and commonly shown smile. Her gleam slowly faded before giving Stan a long stare.

Stan wondered what she could be thinking as her saddened eyes penetrated his, giving him a message he couldn't quite figure out.

Before Stan could comprehend his situation, he felt small arms wrap around his neck. The feel of warm and comforting cotton from the girl's sweater lay around his bare neck as he felt her small body press against his. She hugged him with what felt like desperation; as if an action of such would suddenly make all of her problems cease to exist. The little girl's locks of curls, which smelt of dust and dirt, fell into his face as he let her action sink in.

"What is she doing?" Stan thought in shock. He didn't know if he should shoo her off of him or let her cling on. He felt the instinct to immediately interrupt her hug, but the thing is, he didn't want to.

Stan never let many people even touch him, especially ever since he was left to fend for himself, but at that moment, Stan felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. For the first time in ten years, he felt comfort and love. For the first time in a long time Stan felt important.

After a few seconds Mabel released her hug on Stan and sat back on the seat without a word. "You... You can take me to the police. I won't fight." She silently insisted as she smuggled into the seat cushion; almost waiting for Stan's expected words.

Mabel stared down at her feet; waiting for an answer that Stan couldn't give. The small hug this little girl gave him made him feel different from how he has felt for the past few years. For that moment, he forgot this troubles; his experience through poverty; and lost focus on all of the things he didn't have or possess. A small thought crossed Stan's mind for a quick second. "What if I took care of her; Took her to Oregon? Someone could finally be in my life again. Even if it is for a little while."

"Why do you want **ME** to take you?" He sighed looking towards his hands. "Ya don't even know me."

"But I do," Mabel thought looking up to the man who refused to share even a glance. "I know more than you think."

Mabel only replied with a hopeful stare. After a moment of thought and silence, Stan sighed and eagerly shifted the gears into drive. Mabel watched unaware of Stan's intentions as the car began to drive off down the road.

"This better not be some kind of sick joke, kid." He said before another quiet moment. "So... How long do ya think it will take to get to Oregon?" Stan asked with a smirk.

Mabel's attention immediately sparked. She widened her eyes and stiffened her posture in her seat. "Wait, does that mean you'll do it? You'll take me to Oregon?"

"Yes."

"Oh my gosh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Mabel cheered wrapping her arms around the man once more despite the struggle to do so due to her seatbelt.

"Okay, okay, you can stop now. I'm driving." He pushed her back into her seat but with a playful manner.

"I can't believe you're taking me!" she cheered letting go of him and settling back down on her seat.

"Yeah, me neither."

"I'm one step closer." Mabel mentally noted. She felt inside her sweater and rummaged for the familiar feel of a metallic box shape. Finally feeling it in her palms, she tightly clutched the object in desperation for a small feel comfort it seemed to provide. "I actually have a chance at going home!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! First of all I want to say a late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you so much for all of your guys' amazing support on this story. It really means a lot that you guys are sticking around. And please, leave a review or favorite. I love to know your opinions.**

* * *

Dipper's side

A small buzz could faintly be heard in the distance as Dipper awoke from his involuntary slumber. His eyes slowly became more alive with every blink in order to rid of the drowsiness. After his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he then became aware of the queasy feeling in his stomach sending uneasy chills through the rest of his body.

A sudden burn arose in his throat as he felt an acidic liquid flow up his esophagus. Dipper quickly covered his mouth in an effort to slow down the escape of his recent meals. He turned towards the edge of the mattress he lied on and released the throw-up from his body. A puddle of throw-up formed with each gag until he finally felt nothing more to spit up.

"Is this the attic?" Dipper thought. He lay on the mattress finally taking in where he was stationed. He was on the left side of the room; the exact place he slept in the summer of 2012. Dipper turned to the other side of the attic where his sister's bed should've been. Half expecting to see Mabel, Dipper only stared at dust covered boxes smothered in spiderweb.

The unpleasant smell of barf finally reached and persuaded Dipper to exit the room. He slowly stood from the mattress and wobbled his way to the door. Still feeling as if he could barf any minute, Dipper picked up a small can he found on his way to the other room; holding it close just I case.

He struggled down the stairs gripping onto the hand rail for support. His legs seemed to be useless, for he was using more strength in his arms to support his body rather that his legs. They acted more as droopy flesh sticks trailing behind his body more than they did as support.

"Ugh," Dipper thought as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "This feels awful."

"Ford," Dipper spoke. He cringed as an unpleasant burn arose in his throat. The voice that came from his mouth did not sound like his. It was raspy and low in volume. His voice seemed altered not sure if he lost it or somehow messed it up. Dipper's throat burned as if he had just inhaled smoke for hours. Harsh coughs escaped his throat leaving painful throbs with each rough inhale and exhale.

"Well this just keeps getting better for me, doesn't it?" He said sarcastically in his mind as he gently rubbed the front of his neck in hopes of helping to soothe the damage.

Dipper stumbled to the kitchen where he poured himself a cup of water before engulfing the whole amount of liquid into his throat in a matter of seconds. The liquid seemed to be a good remedy for now, but the sore pain would soon be back.

Dipper wandered around the erie house in search for the young scientist. He was eager to find him in order to find a new place to rest so he didn't have to smell the foul regurgitated substance he had spit up. He would have stayed in bed if it weren't for it.

The boy made his way to the side of the house were the gift shop used to be; or will be. This time travel nonsense always seems to confuse Dipper. Still very drowsy and dizzy, Dipper was not cautious of his area and where he was going. His only intent was to get to Ford so he can 'hit the hay' once more.

Noticing an open entrance way to another room on his right, Dipper took it, not aware of his surroundings. He stepped into the room that was turned to be a hall. The lights were dim and his surroundings were difficult to make out. One step later, Dipper found himself falling. But falling where? Everything was such a blur, and it happened so fast. Every second that passed, a pain bolted like lightning to a random spot on his body only to be replaced by another.

finally, it all stopped. He still felt the pains from before he halted, but there were no longer any new-coming pains. He lay were he had stopped to find himself sprawled across a concrete floor. He felt the need to wail or do something to show his pain, but nothing came out of his mouth. In fact, he couldn't move a muscle in his body- not that he actually had much. He felt as if his bones were made of rocks, keeping him from moving. His eyes only stared out in front of him as his hearing seemed to dim in moments of ringing.

Movement appeared before him as the door to an elevator of some sort opened with a ding. He watched as the appearance of worn and dirtied boots quickly approached him.

"What on Earth?!" He heard as his eyes began to droop closed. "Kid, what happened?"

Soon, his hearing faded as he fell into another slumber.

~0~

Dipper awoke to the sounds of page flipping and writing. He looked to the side of him to see Ford sitting in a chair from the dining room right next to him. Dipper tried to use his arms to pull himself up but was provoked by a pain of just moving them.

His pained grunt captured Ford's attention causing him to spring into an act of help, dropping his journal and pen in the process.

"Now, Dipper. I suggest you try not to move," he said pushing him back down onto the mattress. "You hurt yourself pretty bad falling down those stairs. You're injured with many bruises and probably even a concussion. I would have taken you to the hospital, but the residents of this town are not exactly... The sharpest tools in the shed if you know what I mean." He said while Dipper nodded his head. It was best Dipper stayed there. The hospital meant his paperwork and paperwork meant information he couldn't give. "You're better off with me. Besides, it's not like you broke anything."

"I feel horrible," Dipper said in a gravely voice instantly regretting he ever opened his mouth. His throat burned even more than it did before; as and after he spoke.

"Well, that's what happens when you're sick," he responded. "You must have been outside for quite a long time to have gotten this ill. Your temperature had reached at least 103 degrees fahrenheit. How long exactly were you wondering in the woods?"

"I... I'm not sure," he replied trying to speak as little as possible. "It didn't feel that long?"

"You must have been very distracted to watch time fly by so fast."

"Yeah... I guess I was."

"Anyhow, I was very angry you had disobeyed my orders to ignore the basement. I did have to keep in mind that you were sick and probably confused of your surroundings. I don't know if you were unaware or if it was simply an act of stupidity. You could have been delirious or it could have been an act of rebellion. I don't know. All I've got to say of this is that I better not see this happen again. You also need to be cautious of yourself. As you've probably already noticed, this house isn't exactly a kid friendly environment. Do you hear me?"

Dipper only nodded in response.

"What happened before?" Dipper asked.

"Before?"

"I don't know. I- I mean, I was talking to you. And then," he cleared his throat after a few coughs. "I don't know what happened."

"Ahh, yes," Ford said with a smile. "I don't remember much of what you were saying; something about having a sister. But you suddenly lost conscience. I thought something was wrong with you but I soon realized you were growing a fever. You were out for quite a while. Two days to be exact." A silence permeated the area as Dipper watched Ford stare to the ceiling in thought. "Dipper," he sighed, "if I had known you were a sleep walker and talker, I would have put you in a more secure area."

"I-I don't," Dipper quickly slipped in before Ford could continue.

"Well, I thought you had woken when I was disturbed from my research by you screaming. You were referencing a person by the name of 'Mabel' in anger."

"She's my sister," Dipper explained growing glum. "We had a big fight before I got lost. I feel really bad about what I her. She must hate me."

"Well you repeated your words over and over again and even started crying. You got off the couch and began ripping my research. I had to move you up to the attic. But now you're in my loft due to the fact that you had spit up your last few meals. You must have been very upset about that fight to have been doing all of those things."

"I am. I... I just feel so bad. I was so mean. I feel like such a crummy brother. Twin brother no less."

"Ahh. I see. I had a twin," he said in thought.

"Had?" Dipper asked but was ignored with Ford's continuation.

"I also had a fight with him. It's what separated the both of us. I wonder what he's up to lately."

"Don't you ever feel bad about what happened? Or miss him?"

Ford instantly shot him a stare as if he had never expected to hear Dipper's question from anyone. As if it had only crossed his mind in the worst ways possible. As if it was a sin to feel these things.

"Well, I have felt some remorse for how I have shut him out of my life. Sometimes... I do miss him. But that is only when I forget what he did. He deserves what he got, Dipper."

"But you can't hold A grudge forever," Dipper tried to reason. He already knew the story of Stan and Ford. While Stan may have been selfish, Ford was even more in locking Stan out. Especially with the so little Stan was left to live on.

"There's so much more to it that you don't understand, boy." He said heaving a deep sigh. "You're just a child."

"Hey!" Dipper protested. "I'm more mature than I may seem."

Ford laughed before standing up from the chair. He bent down and grabbed what had been dropped. "Well, if you need me I'll be taking a nap. I have been spending the last few hours tending to your injuries. It felt like days." He had turned around and headed towards the door before being stopped by the voice of the twelve year old boy.

"Ford," he said. "Thank you- for everything."

Ford only returned Dipper's appreciation with a soft smile before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. Very heavy and hard on the throat coughs escaped the poor boy as the crease of the door thinned.

He had only known this boy for such a small time, but something inside him felt as though he had known him longer. This was only the second time talking to Dipper. They didn't know much of each other but maybe, just maybe, he could fill the void of company that Fiddleford left behind.

Ford had passed by a rack that leaned against the wall, and it held his tan colored coat and Dipper's vest and hat he had stripped of so Dipper could rest better. He had placed Dipper's vest and hat on it the the day he had arrived. Ford walked past it before noticing a gleam come from inside the vest. Overwhelmed with curiosity, he approached the piece of clothing choosing whether or not to rifle through Dipper's possessions. He didn't want to be nosey through the boy's things, but something about this gleam just seemed too familiar.

Out of a pocket inside the blue vest, he pulled out a very familiar shape. A very familiar feel. He pulled out a velvet colored book with golden stripes at the spine and edges. Painted on the cover, over the golden print of a left six-fingered hand, there was a number three.

Ford held out the book he had found in Dipper's vest- horrified-and looked at the book in which he held in his hand; comparing them. Except for a rougher and antique-ish feel one journal possessed, there was nothing to compare. He quickly flipped through the pages of both books hoping that what he was seeing wasn't true. As before, everything was the same. Except for some pages missing in the one Dipper had, these two are exactly the same.

Exactly the same...

Many questions in his mind fluttered like a flock of bats endlessly and uncontrollably gliding into the walls of a cave after being disturbed from rest. He couldn't make out how a boy he had only known for the most of three days, could possibly get an exact replica of his personal journals.

Dipper was sick the whole time. How could he have possibly gotten the chance to take even the slightest glance in his journal to replicate it?Especially since Ford had it with him the whole time. But something seemed too real to be false.

Ford looked inside the journal Dipper had brought once more noticing pages in which he did not possess in his as well. Dipper's journal held pages telling the reader of insanity. The writer's insanity. It held notes of distrust and deceit from a "muse". Then, and only then, did Ford realize what was happening.

"This isn't a replica," Ford thought in disbelief. "This is the actual thing."

Ford stood there not sure what to think. He stared back and forth at the two journals he held in his hands.

"This is impossible..." Ford looked up from the twin journals to stare at the door to the loft where Dipper lay inside. "... Who is this kid?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyo guys! I am so sorry I was not able to update last week. I had recently lost all of the soon to come chapters I had saved but finally got them back through a lot of pain and tears. Anyway, I hope you understand my absence and enjoy this angsty chapter. If you enjoy this story, fav or follow, and if you have anything to say about it, I would love to hear your review or comments.**

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Mabel's side

The cloudy night sky peered down onto the passing El Diablo as it pulled off of the road and onto a dirt path. It had been pouring drops of steel every now and then, stopping and starting only after small amounts of minutes.

"Rest Stop," read a sign as the car parked in an abandoned lot. The only light shown was one of a small light post eerily flickering on and off other than the vehicle's headlights. The only structures that stood were two small portable toilets and one table, which could hardly be seen in the dark night.

Stan, at the wheel, rolled down the window to his side only enough so the water pellets didn't find it's way into the car and turned the key to the engine, turning the rumbles into a silence. He took a look into the head view mirror showing a small figure resting in the back seat. The girl's curled-up body lay on the seat cushions, the neck of her large sweater covering most of her features. Her long, curly, brown hair rested neatly in front of her face covering the rest of the features her sweater hadn't already covered. Unlike Stan, her breathing was quiet, steady and not so boisterous when sleeping. The old, dirty sweater Stan had offered her to use as a blanket was only used as a pillow instead.

Stan frowned a bit. He had to leave some of his cheap products behind, for Mabel took up more space in the car than he intended. That means less profit. But other than that, Stan was happy to have her tag along. It's not like he had a great shot at selling those products anyway; plus, she was so bright, and happy; she always knew how to make everything so positive. That he knows of so far.

Stan kicked back his seat so it lay down. After hours of driving, he was more than happy to take a break and rest. Letting out a small sigh, he took another glance to the backseat of the car as he stared at the mysterious girl.

This was the craziest thing he's ever done; taking her to Oregon. She gave him no lead of any sort to go on and expects him to take her so far away. For all he knows she could be lying. Yet, he's doing it anyway.

Stan looked away from her resting figure and closed his eyes for seconds only to hear movement where Mabel lay seconds after. The movement was not that of slumber, but of hesitation. He did not move and pretended he had fallen asleep hoping she'd rest once again. But Stan did not hear Mabel lay back down, but only scoot towards the window and peer out into the rain.

"Is everything alright, kid," Stan asked turning the car lights on, and turning to her once figuring she wasn't going to rest.

"I'm fine," she shyly replied.

"Are you sure? 'Cause you seem a little... I don't know, not sleepy."

"I'm fine," she stated once more. "I'm just not tired anymore."

"Kid, it's three in the morning. You've literally only been sleeping since ten. How could you not be tired?"

She did not respond. She only stared out of the window.

At this point, Stan realized she was not in the mood for playing around like she had before she fell asleep. They had been in a long game of "I Spy" before she hit the hay, so he supposed she was still up for fun and games. Now she seemed almost sad.

"Was it a nightmare?"

After a long moment of silence, Mabel finally nodded her head up and down.

"It wasn't really a nightmare," she said. "More of like a memory, y'know?"

"I know, kid," Stan replied. He looked down from Mabel's eyes as his past memories reminded him of his mistakes.

"You do?" Mabel asked.

"Oh yeah, I get 'em all the time. It haunts me to this day. Happened years ago, too"

Mabel immediately shut her mouth almost forgetting what Stan has been through. His words didn't exactly make her feel better either. And Stan could tell.

He didn't know how to consult this child. Everything he said had made her even more gloom than she already was.

"Uh... You wanna talk about it?" He slowly asked after an uncomfortable forced cough.

Mabel shared a glance with Stan. He could not read her expressions, but Mabel, on the other hand, saw right through his. He had wanted to help her, or at least get out of this extremely awkward situation with a little more conversation. She could tell that Stan was worried, but at the same time uncomfortable. Thinking it would be better for the both of them, although she really did not want to talk about it, she spoke up.

"It was just a fight with someone close to me," she said looking down to her feet. Mabel picked at her pearl white socks with her long nails. She had removed her black flats during the car trip so her toes could feel a little more free. "I- "

"It was your brother wasn't it?"

He interrupted. Mabel quickly exchanged her eyes from her feet to Stan. He stared at her with sympathy deep within his eyes. It's was hard to see, but it was definitely there. "Well, I mean, you told me about it earlier so..."

"... Yeah... But it's fine. It's just a dream. Next time I fall asleep, I'll be dreaming of unicorns riding flying rainbow kittens," Mabel cheered in effort the lighten the mood.

Stan gave Mabel a small smile before it disappeared within the lines of his lips. He positioned himself to be able to talk to Mabel more comfortably. Opening his mouth, ready to speak words, Stan only closed it and laid back into his reclined seat.

"It's good to be that positive. I admire you for that."

Mabel let off a giant grin, showing her lustered braces. "Thank you!"

"Now get some sleep, kid," he urged. Stan turned the light to the car off before closing his eyes and putting his hands comfortably on his stomach.

"Boo!" Mabel commented with a thumbs down. "I'm not tired anymore," she complained. She scooted closer to where Stan was stationed and hovered over his resting body.

"Well, I am."

"Can't I draw or something?" She asked.

"No."

"Aww, come on. It'll pass time," Mabel tried to convince him. She put her hand to her chin in thought before coming up with a persuasion. "Would you rather have me preoccupied, or have me bug you all night? Your choice."

Eyes still closed, Stan let out a deep groan. His head rose from the reclined seat only to collide foreheads with the girl that towered over him.

"Ow! Fuck!"

"Ouch!"

Stan shot up from the throbbing pain left from the collision and turned the car lights on. He turned to Mabel who was rubbing her forehead with a wince.

"What the hell, kid!" He cringed holding his forehead in his palm. "Damn, right in the same spot."

"Just because it hurt, doesn't mean you have to swear, Grunkle Stan," Mabel spoke before being able to stop herself. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened as she hoped he hadn't realized what she said, or at least even thought about it.

"First of all, I'm an adult; I can say whatever I wanna say. Second," he paused. "Wait, what'd you just call me?"

Mabel stared at him with wide eyes. She knew something would slip out of her mouth, but she didn't think it would be this soon. She said nothing leaving Stan waiting with a stern expression.

"Um," Mabel started searching in her memorized excuses that could help her. "It means... Grumpy uncle. Y'know, the stereotype."

Stan's expression changed from curious to confused. His face said it all.

"Well, uncles are supposed to be grumpy. And I called you a grumpy uncle... Because you're acting grumpy," she tried to explain herself. It her head, her excuse seemed stupid, but once said, she had become very proud of it.

"Oh... that makes sense... I guess," Stan said laying back down in his seat. "It's just, that's what my old Pops would say when talkin' 'bout his great uncle. 'Cause that's what "Grunkle" means; great uncle."

He was silent for a moment. Mabel lowered her eyes. She stared at her pink wool sweater that was painted with a key. She could have been in her prepared pre-made sweater she had knitted for the day to come, but sadly, that was left back home. Along with everything else.

"I've always wondered if I'll ever get to be called a "Grunkle" someday," Mabel immediately looked up knowing the answer to his thinking. "Me and my brother, with the way I am and the personality he has, will never have kids. Shermie might have a chance though. Man, I haven't seen that little munch in a long time."

"Grandpa Shermie?" Mabel thought interrupting her concentration on Stan's words.

"But he probably doesn't even know me. And if he does, he wouldn't let me anywhere near him or his family."

"That's not true," Mabel commented gaining Stan's attention very quickly. "If I were Shermie, I would let my kids and my grandkids visit you as much as I could," she started with a broad smile. "You're an awesome person. I can't think of anyone that wouldn't want you around."

"Thanks, kid," Stan appreciated. "But you don't know what I've done. Honestly, I shouldn't even be in Oklahoma right now. I got banned almost a week ago. I don't think any human with common sense would let a crook anywhere near them."

"So what you're a crook?" Mabel sat down in her seat as she pulled out a small paper out of her sweater. She took a good look of the paper and turned it around to show Stan what the paper held. On it was a picture of her and and another child her age. They seemed to be fishing. The photograph showed Mabel with her arm around an ecstatic boy that held a small fish in his hands. "This is my brother," she said pointing to the child. "His name is Dipper, like the constellation." Above the picture was a scramble of untidy words sprawled across the rim. The words read, "love you, knuckleheads."

"I was spending the summer with our uncle, who is also a pretty thefty crook. But through his nasty habits and grumpy attitude, he has a big juicy heart," Mabel explained. "You remind me of him."

"You're a good kid, Mabel," he said with a small smile of comfort. "Let's go to bed, it's late and I swear, if i don't get sleep I'll sew my eyelids closed so all I could do is sleep."

Mabel let off a small chuckle not aware of how disturbing his joke was. She lied on the seat once more and closed her eyes.

Minutes passed as she had tried to fall into a slumber. Just as her conscience was about to slip, she heard a faint commotion take place in the front of the car. She opened her eyes to see a figure standing in the rain, just at the hood of the vehicle.

Mabel sat up and leaned in to make out what was happening, before realizing a telephone in the hand of the figure she could recognize as Stan.

After a few moments of staring, Mabel saw Stan put the telephone back in its slot and began making his way back to the driver's side of the car. In instinct, Mabel immediately lied down as if she had never even gotten up. She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep as she heard her uncle open the car door and step inside, closing it behind him.

A sigh came from Stan, and after a while, a few sniffles as well.

"Is he... Crying?" Mabel thought. She no longer faked her slumber as she heard his distress. A sign of sadness always made Mabel determined to make things right. Even if she did not know them, she still would do anything in her power to make them happy. But Stan she did know. At least his 70 year old self.

"Stan?" she whispered. He jumped to her words and turned to look at her with tears in his eyes.

"Oh. Kid," he said immediately wiping the tears from his face in embarrassment. "I thought you were already asleep. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see this."

"Crying isn't a weakness, Stan," Mabel ensured. She sat up from the seat and rested her body on her knees. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied in almost resentment. "It's stupid; go back to sleep."

"I'm serious. I may be small and a little childish," said Mabel pinching her fingers together, almost touching, "but I sure don't want to be treated like a two year old. Trust me, I'm mature for my age."

"Fine," Stan gave in. "I... I was thinking 'bout what you said, and decided to call my family. I tried my parents first, but they didn't answer. Then I tried my brother... I-I couldn't do it," he summed it up with a sniffle. "Ugh! Crying sucks!"

Mabel sat where she stationed herself and stared at the floorboards with a pinch of hesitation in her movements. "Um, Stan? I-I have to tell you something."

"What is it," Stan said still putting in effort to end what felt to him as a stupid and uncalled for tantrum.

"I... I-um," Mabel hesitated. She questioned if she'd dare explain being a relative of Stan. Mabel wanted so deeply to to tell him everything. He might not be as sad to know that he does have family that is there for him and that he is loved. Her words from before just didn't seen to be enough.

"Maybe it's too soon," she told herself, thinking before she acted, unlike she usually did. "Who knows how he'll react."

"I... I'm hungry," although Mabel was looking for a way out of what she had started, she wasn't lying when she said she was hungry. The last thing she had stuffed into her stomach was that small cup filled with the delicious vanilla milkshake. And as great as it tasted, Mabel still couldn't help but want something more filling.

"I'll get us something in the morning. I don't got any food here and everything's closed," Stan explained with a pained sigh.

"Oh, okay," Mabel replied laying back down in the seats.

He stuffed his hand into his pocket and wiggled his fingers for anything just hoping it could be money. He pulled his hand out and unclenched his fist to find three quarters and a paper clip along with a ball of lint.

"I'm gonna need to make a small stop," he thought closing his palm and stuffing it's contents back into his pockets. "It's a good thing we're not that far away from it."

Nothing more was said. Stan lay still, not moving while Mabel still lay awake staring ahead of her. She very quietly dug into her sweater and felt around the inside. Her hand touched a familiar metal and pushed it to the side once realizing it was the grappling hook she had gained only a bit after she had arrived in Gravity Falls. Mabel never went anywhere without the handy tool, which has helped her so much. Dipper couldn't see that for the longest time but after the Gideon incident, he learned to appreciate it.

Again her hand felt around for the object she desired. Finally, a box of metal came to her touch. She pulled it out, revealing the time traveling device as she skinned the machine with her fingers. In the dim lighting she clutched the object, caressing the surface gently.

"I'm going home. I just know it."


	7. Chapter 7

Dipper's side

"You lied to me!" Ford yelled stumbling over countless levitating documents of research and books scurrying his surroundings. "What were you really planning?"

Ford climbed a hill of papers expecting to find his 'muse' but only found nothing but random sprawling books, pens, papers, and even numbers.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the 'genius' finally got smart," responded a maniacal laughter that seemed to mimic. "How long did it take you to figure it out? Five years?"

"Don't toy with me Cipher!" Ford yelled as fierce as his voice was able to show. "The gig is up. Any deals we've made are off!"

"Hey! I'd watch my words if I were you," the echoing voice boomed a lot less playful than it's previous phrase. "Don't forget who you're talking to. I call the shots."

"I refuse to be any part of what you have planned. I don't know what it is but I know it can't be any good." Ford said.

"Well, it's- uh... I'm afraid it's a little too late for that my six fingered friend." Bill replied in almost a taunt. "I swear, you were even more gullible than the ancient Mayans; and boy were they stupid. Ha! What am I kidding; all of you useless flesh bags are stupid.

"I demand you show yourself! You're not fooling anyone. Not anymore."

"Demand?" The voice seemed to scoff. "You demand me? It's funny that you think you're the one in charge here. Don't forget that I have all control over you. Just think about it; I can posses your body this very moment- since you're the one who gave me permission to it. Now isn't that right Fordsy?"

Ford stared in horror as he still searched for the familiar figure of the once trusted triangle.

"Don't you dare! I trusted you!"

"Trust goes a long way, pal... Until it doesn't."

"SHOW YOURSELF, DAMN IIT!" He yelled overwhelmed in frustration.

"Woah," the mimicking voice seemed to cower. "Geesh, don't get your panties in a twist. Anymore of that and that kid you have in this house will hear you; even in the mindscape. You wouldn't want to wake him would you?"

"Leave the kid out of this, Bill! This is between you and me." Ford hurried to every hill and tumbled over countless documents as he frantically searched. He pulled himself up a small hill of books as he looked up to see the desired figure. With a determined grunt he pulled himself to his feet and ran to the triangle, who's back was turned to him.

"But... I think he's already involved." He said slowly turning to face Ford. If he had a smile, Ford was sure he could see a maniacal grin plastered on his surface.

"What do you mean?" Ford asked in horror. For the first time, Ford was scared, no, terrified of this being. When thought of, he always viewed Bill as wonderful and trustable, but now all he saw in him was hate and madness; and that itself was enough to frighten him.

"What did you do to him?" He gritted his teeth with clenched fists.

"Nothing." Bill put his palm up in defense. "Pinetree- oh, I mean, Dipper is a special boy. I knew it from the first time I laid eyes on him. Or should I say eye." He finished emphasizing his last word with the extension of his eye growing. A blue luminous shade shone from his eye as his voice deepened to almost a buzz.

"H- How to you know him?"

There was a moment of what seemed like forever of Bill's psychotic laughter. "Would you be surprised if I told you we have a history?" Bill mocked. His figure slowly melted away; leaving a void of only his voice and deserting Ford to himself once more. "Let's just say the kid didn't exactly tell you everything."

Ford hesitantly stepped back and scanned the area for Bill. He was not sure if he should be terrified or angry. He was scared but he also couldn't let go of the fact that his last and only 'friend' betrayed him. He gave Bill so much of his trust, and he just raked it through the mud. Not only that, but the kid was lying to him too?

"No. You're lying." Ford responded putting effort to seem authoritative despite his fear. "I can't trust you; not anymore."

"Well, I don't understand why you seem to trust the kid," Bill started as if he were to continue.

"What causes you to assume I trust him?" Ford cut off before Bill was able to proceed.

"It shocks me that you haven't taken account of his part in all of this; with you defending him and all." Bill said almost in a pitiful manner.

"What part?"

"You really don't know? Huh- and here I thought you weren't as stupid as you seemed. After all, you did build my portal- thanks by the way."

A blue light bloomed from behind Ford. He turned to see a wall of blue flame rise to the infinite sky of the mindscape and tower over his figure.

"What ever you're planning: I won't let you go through with it. I'll stop you!" Ford yelled through the crackling of the flame. He pushed into the fire, yet he couldn't feel the pain he expected. Instead, a chill swept through him as he stepped across the wall of fire. He looked down to his clothes half expecting flames to be dancing on his shirt and hair, but he saw nothing affected.

"You can't stop what's coming, Stanford Pines. I have big plans for you; for all of you."

"For all of me?"

"Until then I'll be watching you!"

0o0

Stanford's eyes bolted open to the sound of a few coughs echoing through the hallways. He sat up from his sofa as he pressed his back into the wooden wall of his study room. His trembling hands swept through his greasy and unkept hair with a slow but firm pace.

Exhales escaped in long and heavy breaths, for the wild beating of his heart seemed to push all of his air out.

"For all of you," Bill's voice seemed to echo repeatedly in his head.

"Who?" Ford whispered to himself as he processed what he had seen. In a hurry Ford jumped from his sofa and sped to a dresser on the other side of the room. After quickly grabbing his journal that lay face up atop the dresser, he immediately pulled out the single drawer of the dresser and rustled through papers before finally pulling out a pen.

He slammed the book onto a nearby counter and pulled his pen out; scribbling down a few notes of what he had seen in his nightmare before he could lose memory of it. In big noticeable lettering at the bottom of the page he bolded the text:

 **HE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED**

Ford stared at his small statement with his hands in his hair. His hand slowly made its way from his messy hair to his cheek as he scratched and rubbed the prickly stubble he had learned to grow comfortable with.

His eyes slid from his journal to a small corner on the side of the sofa where a stack of books and dictionaries of that sort lay. Atop of the stack a book stood out from the rest. It possessed the same golden crusted six fingered hand overlapped with a bolded number three as the journal that lay in front of him.

Ford almost slid across the room taking the journal from the stack and stood holding it in his hands with immediate concentration. He slowly and carefully flipped to a random page almost halfway through the journal when he landed on a blank page. He flipped a page backwards with an audible 'SWOOSH' before finding himself on the most familiar page.

"HE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED" the words sprawled across the paper with ink that seemed to be written decades ago on paper so ancient it could be mistaken for the Declaration of Independence maybe.

"That fucking deluder!" He yelled to himself with clenched fists. Ford's face grew hot as he was suddenly overwhelmed in anger. Without intention he threw the journal to the ground with an enormous amount of force causing a loud thump to disrupt the quiet atmosphere of the house.

Ford exited the room in wide and hurried strides. He rounded sharp corners as his feet stomped with every step; giving a warning to his destination. What was he going to do when he arrived? He did not know but he meant business, nonetheless.

It was one last corner he turned before arriving at the door. He reached for the handle and turned it with a push opening- no, swinging the door open with such force he did not even know he possessed.

The boy- Dipper, looked to Ford taken aback by his fierce actions. He sat up in the mattress leaning against the wall with a book laid in between his lap. For a small moment Dipper's eyes softened to Ford before Ford waved his accusing pointer finger towards him.

"You," he bitterly gritted his teeth.

"Um, what's wrong-"

"Who are you? Who are you really?" Ford interrupted grabbing the book from Dipper's possession and threw it across the room. Dipper jumped back to Ford's movements as he scooted farther away from him.

"W-what do you mean?" Dipper's voice cracked.

"Don't act like I'm stupid. You think I wouldn't find out about your 'act'? Who are you and why did you really come here?!"

"I-I told you." Dipper stuttered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Does the name Bill Cipher come to any mind to you?" Ford spat. Dipper's slanted eyebrows raised at the mention of the monster. "So you do know him," Ford concluded in devastation. "I fucking knew it."

"Wait- no, you've got this wrong. I-"

"What is there to get wrong? Why did Bill send you here?"

"H-he didn't. I promise!"

"Get out. Get out of my house!" Ford snatched at the boy's sweaty wrist and pulled him from under the covers of the bed. Dipper yelped as he was dragged out of the room and down the hall. His weak and frail body still under the influence of his illness was useless to fight against Ford's strong grip.

"Please, just hear me out," Dipper begged as his body pulled towards Ford's movements. This wasn't the old man who had come from the portal. The man so excited to meet Dipper and Mabel and to learn they were related. This man was terrifying and Dipper became even more scared with every step Ford had pulled him. What was he going to do with him? "This isn't what it seems like."

Ford said nothing as he reached the front of the house. He opened the entrance door letting a huge gust of wind carry a pile of snow into the entrance way. A fierce shiver swept across Dipper's body as he felt a strong force throw him onto the cold and powdery porch. He landed surprisingly softly but his skin felt as thought he were being touched with tiny and prickly needles. Dipper tried pulling himself up but was met with indifference when he could not feel his right arm. He groaned in pain as he heard the door to the house slam shut with a sound that could shatter glass a mile away.

His arms and legs grew goosebumps, for he had nothing but his t-shirt, and his shorts which where already soaked from his sweat.

The wind howled louder with every gust that blew into Dipper's weakly body. He could feel his sweat begin to crystallize as he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled down the porch steps hoping to take shelter under the house. It was the best he had.

After only a few steps Dipper fell to his side with a thump that he couldn't hear nor feel for that matter. What made him fall, he did not know or even care. His eyes became heavy as he suddenly and strangely became warm. Every second that passed his body felt warmer and numb. It was actually comforting.

He felt as if he were laying in the grass on a hot summer day. And somewhere he could feel the presence of another person laying next to him. He could only imagine the words coming from her mouth as he swore he could hear her voice.

0o0

Mabel's side

"What's the matter, Mabel?" Mabel heard Stan ask from the seat next to her. Mabel turned her head to Stan as he sat eating his hot dog. "I thought ya said you were hungry."

The two sat in the El Diablo parked in an empty parking lot eating hotdogs Stan and Mabel had stolen from a small hot dog cart. Mabel did leave a nice lollipop she had found in between the seat cushions of Stan's car as an apology for stealing the hotdogs. It was the best she could do considering how little she had to work with.

"I-I don't feel that good," she said clutching to her stomach with a grimace. "I think there was something in that hotdog."

"Hardly," Stan doubted stuffing the last chunk of food in his mouth. "Ya barely even scrapped the thing."

"You can have it," Mabel offered pushing it towards him. "I... I really don't feel that good."

"Anything I can do to make ya feel better?" Stan asked taking the hot dog and placing it on the dashboard. "Do you feel sick?"

"I don't know. I think so. My chest hurts- like when I cry, and my stomach feels like it has the butterflies. I also feel kind of nervous for some reason."

"Well I'm no doctor but I say you just need some sleep. Hopefully this next stop I can get enough to get us a motel at best."

"Were are we going anyway?" Mabel questioned.

"To the city of lights. We're going to Las Vegas!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I am so sorry that it took me more than a month to update. That was unacceptable and irresponsible. As of now, updates may come slower than I anticipated but they will definitely be coming. I hope you all understand and i hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Mabel's side

"What's a twelve letter word that means the opposite of... Disparagement?" Mabel quizzed squinting at small lettering sprawled across a book the size of her hand and the width of her neck.

"Hell if I know," responded Stan as he stared into the road.

"Guess."

"I don't know... Grumpy?"

"That's not twelve letters," Mabel said putting the book down.

"Hey, lay off kid. I'm not a professor," Stan defended his ignorance. "Do I got any water in the back?"

Mabel reached her hand and pulled a small plastic bottle out of an old duffel bag. She examined the clear liquid as it barely even took up a fifth of the bottle.

"This is all we have left- I think," Mabel said handing the bottle to Stan. Stan eyed the bottle before letting out a sigh.

"You keep it kid. Ya might get thirsty."

"I'm fine, Stan. There's plenty of water in the world," Mabel pushed the bottle farther out towards Stan.

"But not enough money to afford it."

Mabel's small smile faded as she slid the water bottle next to Stan's leg. She turned her attention to the book she held in her hand before flipping through the countless number of pages.

"Why do you have this book in here? I mean- you obviously don't use it," she questioned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh- I meant-"

"Haha," Stan laughed as he slapped his knee. Mabel giggled to herself as the familiar laugh and knee slap combined in an almost harmonic tune. "I'm just shittin' with you, kid. I know I'm stupid. It's my bother's," he explained pointing to the book. "Always read through it on our way to and from school. I honestly didn't even know I had it in here until now."

Stan let off another one if his heavy sighs as he rubbed his eyelids. "I never thought I would miss that as much as I do."

Mabel turned her head towards the window as she peered out into the landscape. Sandy hills rolled from all directions with small blotches of yellow grass or dead trees every once in a while.

Mabel had never been any farther than out of California except Gravity Falls. Going to Oregon with Dipper was really the only time she had visited out of the state. But there really wasn't a difference between this landscape and the one in California.

From a distance Mabel noticed a large green sign.

Las Vegas

The sign read as the car approached it.

"Stan! We're here!" Mabel exclaimed pressing her face into the car window. "I've never been here before. My parents have; they didn't really like it."

"It's known for it's lights and casinos. Nothin' more," Stan briefly explained. "The only good thing about this godforsaken city is it's booze and chicks."

"Oh, that's... Nice," Mabel said straitening her eyebrows.

"That's just my perspective," Stan laughed. "Anyone ever teach you to gamble?"

"Gamble?"

"Yeah, like play cards."

"My- um, my great uncle tried to teach me to play poker. I never got the gist of it but I'm still really good at it."

"Is that even possible?" Stan questioned.

"Well, not really. I just cheated."

Stan huffed air from his nose as he almost snorted in laughter. "Well then, I ought to take you to my next gambling gig."

Mabel smiled as she settled down comfortably in her seat. "So what are we gonna do here anyway?"

Stan sighed, "I'm not gonna lie to you kid. I'm gonna gamble."

"Wait," Mabel stopped as she lit up in excitement. "Does that mean I get to come with?"

"Ha!" Stan burst out in laughter. "Not a chance."

Mabel's smile quickly faded as it just as suddenly formed into a pouting frown. "So what, are you gonna make me wait in the doorway and watch drunk people stagger in and out of the place?"

"Close," Stan answered as he parked the car in a vacant parking lot. "I'm gonna make you sit in the car and watch drunk people stagger in and out of the place."

Stan opened the door to his side of the car and stepped out. His eyes peered into the alleyways surrounding the parking lot. It wasn't dark out yet; there was probably a good 3 to 4 hours before the sun will begin to come down.

"I don't have a lot of time," Stan thought as he looked into the car to find the time was exactly 5 o'clock. Stan rolled the front windows down almost about an inch before closing the door.

"Stay put," he demanded.

"Wait," Mabel said as Stan began to head away. "You're just gonna leave me here? What if something happens?"

"Don't worry, kid. I won't be long," Stan turned around again and took a few steps before halting in his tracks. "Just make sure the doors stay locked and don't come out until I get back," he ordered as he walked away.

Mabel watched as his stumpy form disappeared behind a building's corner. She sat still in the seat for what felt like a good 5 minutes before letting out a bored groan.

"Man," she whispered to herself. "He won't be long my butt."

The last time he had said that, while in Gravity Falls, he had taken her and Dipper to a bowling alley where he spent almost an hour using the restroom.

This was going to be a while.

Time had slipped by incredibly slow for Mabel. She had already drawn more than 10 drawings of her usual unicorn kittens with rainbow wings and puppies playing soccer, and sang to every song she had memorized more than twice. Every once in a while Mabel would hear drunken laughs echo through the alleyways, which scared her a little bit. Especially as it got darker.

Mabel could do nothing but wait for Stan. Until she heard laughs. They seemed like they came from men, no more than eight but that's definitely a lot. They seemed no different from the ones she had heard earlier, but these seemed closer. A lot closer.

Mabel quickly looked in the rearview mirror to see a group of men dressed in what seemed to be nice suits round the corner of a building not far from the car. In hesitation, she quickly ducked out of sight under the dashboard.

"Hey," came a deep yell. "Don't this car look like that guy's that Boss keeps bitch'n about."

"Heh," came another more gravely voice. "Boss bitches about a lot of people."

"I'm talking about the... The... Fuck- what's his name? 8-ball? 8-ball Alcatraz?"

Deep laughs could be heard from all over from several different men.

"Man," came a new voice. "That's kinda a long shot. Besides, no one's stupid enough to come back here if they've been through Boss. Especially a guy like him."

"Shut the hell up, man. I'm just sayin'."

"Whatever. Sure is a nice car though," said a man with a voice a bit higher than the rest. Mabel was able to see his features from her cubby hole, for he stood right at the drivers side of the door, staring inside. His eyebrows were just as thick as the beard that hung below his chin, but he did not seem muscular or bulky. He was somewhere in the middle.

Mabel scooted deeper under the dashboard thankful for the aid of the dark that made her nearly invisible.

"Let's take it," suggested a man.

"Are you fucking crazy? We've already gotten Boss in enough trouble. If we get caught, he'll fucking kill us!"

"Well then don't get caught."

Mabel could barely hear what they were saying, for the loud thumping of her heart seemed to outdo their voices. She felt as if the whole block would be able to feel and hear the beats of her heart. She listened, careful not to make a sound, as the men argued with countless amounts of swears whether to take the car or not.

"Fine, blame me if you want. I could really use this car to get Boss' favor," one man said before approaching the driver's side and into Mabel's view. It was a different man this time. He was smaller and wore black shades although it was dark out. He lifted his hand which held a long silver tool and poked it into the seams of the window. Mabel could hear bumps in the door as the tool worked its magic. Finally the the door unlocked with a pop.

Mabel's heart skipped a beat.

"Fuck yea!" The man cheered.

Mabel watched in horror as he opened the door and peeked inside. He pressed a button and all the doors unlocked with a terrifying click.

And before Mabel could think of what to do. The passenger side door opened. Light shone towards her, exposing her existence. She immediately turned towards the man with a horrified gasp as he shone a light at her. The man showed a hint of shock in his eyes but they hardened just as quickly.

"Shit," the man said. "Someone's in here."

The man at the door grabbed the collar to Mabel's sweater before aggressively pulling her out of her hiding spot and pushing her into the hard pavement. Her left side scraped the ground as she slid across the rocky pavement.

"Woah, dude. Take it easy. It's just a little girl," a man said as Mabel picked herself up from the floor.

The man who pulled Mabel out of the car approached her with fierceness in his eyes. "Stay back."

"Hotwire the car," a man behind the car said. "And hurry the fuck up before we get caught."

Mabel watched on the floor helpless to do anything. Another man in a red suit sped to the front of the car and started fidgeting with the lower part of the driver's side. Inside Mabel's sweater she felt the spot she always saves for her grappling hook. Of course! The grappling hook! But she needed to find the right time to use it.

"Are you all fucking stupid? We've already been caught," the man with the beard said pointing to Mabel. "Forget the car. Let's just get the hell outta here before we get ourselves into trouble."

"No way."

"Please," Mabel finally spoke. "Just leave."

"Shut it," the man in front of Mabel demanded.

"I- I-" Mabel hesitated. "I called the police. "They're on their way. So just leave."

Before anyone of those men were able to respond, one of them standing near the car fell forward with a grunt. Stan appeared behind him as his body painstakingly fell over. In an instant the others were at the ready.

"Stan!" Mabel yelled.

Stan held a large wooden board in both of his hands before dropping it. He hurried to put shiny metal objects onto his knuckles and took a fighting stance.

"Get outta here," he aggressively warned to the men. Mabel stood up and ran to the comfort of Stan's side.

"Well I'll be damned," one of the men said. "I wasn't sure at first but now I am- Alcatraz..."

"I done everything I could for you all. Just leave us the fuck alone."

"You've got some nerve coming back here," another butted in.

"Get in the car, Mabel. I've got this handled," Stan fiercely whispered as Mabel obeyed. The men were so preoccupied with Stan it was as if they had completely forgotten about Mabel.

She crawled into the passenger seat and closed the door. Peering over the window, Mabel watched as Stan went in for a few punches. He got them with what looked like a few good hits too before he was outnumbered. They were all around him throwing kicks and punches; blocking even the slightest view of Stan.

Mabel watched with hope that Stan could escape until some of the men finally began to separate from the dog pile. All but one.

As the group parted away from what Mabel supposed was Stan, she was able to see him on the floor. His face and arms were covered in purple and red blotches of bruises and blood. One man stayed punching repeatedly on Stan's stomach. Stan groaned with each punch thrown at him as he almost seemed unconscious.

Seeing Stan laying helpless on the pavement- men laughing as they beat the life out of him- Mabel opened the door to the car and pulled out her grappling hook with little to no hesitation. She aimed solely at the man on top of Stan.

Many times she had hit her brother or customers in the Mystery Shack unintentionally in the head or stomach with the grappling hook when aiming at something else. Mabel only hoped that her target could be hit this time.

In a breath, she pressed the trigger.

Mabel's heart skipped a few beats as the grappling hook zoomed past her target and into a wall in front of him.

The man looked up in surprise but not because of the grappling hook. An alarm boomed in the ears of everyone in the area. Most of the men instantly bolted out of sight where the rest were left scrambling toward all of their dropped possessions and ran for it.

Mabel poked her head out of the car after only a few seconds to find Stan laying alone on the pavement. His body lay stiff with no movement. She rushed to open the door and scrambled to his side.

"Stan! Stan- we have to go," Mabel cried as she pulled at his baggy clothing. He only responded with a pained grunt. Mabel firmly grasped at his wrist with both her hands and pulled back with the force of all her weight. She was able to pull him a good two feet before she heard the sirens in the distance.

The police.

More hesitant, Mabel pulled with as much force she could afford. "Come on!"

Stan gave Mabel a small amount of help as he picked himself up and thrust himself a few steps before falling again. Again, he pulled himself to his feet holding his left side standing in a pained stance as he leaned against the car. Mabel opened the passenger seat and pushed him inside. He let out a painful howl.

In a hurry, Mabel ran to the diver side and hopped into the seat. She slipped on her seatbelt before storing at the controls of the vehicle.

"Stan, I can't drive. How do I drive?"

No response but heavy breathing.

"Okay... Okay," she whispered to herself. She tried to remember how her parents started the car every time they had left for school or gone to the movies or the park. The keys. Where were the keys? Mabel searched the floor and the dashboard for any glint of metal.

"Here," Stan grunted holding out his hand. Mabel quickly took it before putting it in the slot and turning the I fine to a start.

"Next is the gear- but what gear?"

Stan put his hand up and pulled a lever," Drive!"

Mabel pushed onto the gas and with a jolt they were out of the parking lot with very close hits to a pole or curb.

"I'm sorry," Mabel apologized.

The car was parked just outside of the city. Mabel was finally able to get out of there without anyone suspecting her to be an underage driver. Stan was able to guide her on what to do with the little words he was able to speak.

"It- it wasn't your fault."

"I know, but-"

"No buts," Stan interrupted. "I'm fine and you're fine. That's all that matters."

"You're not fine," Mabel objected. "You're hurt... Really bad."

"I've been through worse. Trust me this' nothin. Don't worry about me Mabel. You're hurt too."

"Yeah but not as bad," Mabel said gingerly caressing the scrape on her left cheek she gained from being tossed to the cement.

"That'll make a good scar," Stan laughed before coughing a storm.

"Yeah, I... I guess so."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! To be honest, I ran out of motivation to write this story for a little while; hence to long absence. I mean I was gone longer than last time, and I apologize for that. I actually forgot about this story until I received an encouraging review to keep going. So please know that your reviews help me. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

An elevator the size for less than three people opened in a slow motion as Ford hesitantly pushed past the crease between the two doors.

He ran to his study room and shut the door with a loud slam that shook the house. He had just finished successfully shutting the portal down and sealed the evidence. The last thing he needed to do was to hide everything leading up to the portal. Everything he had even mentioned needed to be hidden from anyone and everything. This portal could bot be opened. Ford knew that now.

In swift movements Ford gathered all three of his journals, heading once again to his basement before stepping on a large object. Ford looked down to see the exact replica of his journal the boy had brought with him. The book was opened and contained pages he had not noticed the last time he had searched through it.

The page held colorful drawings with the artistic talent of a kindergartner. Putting his journals aside, Ford knelt and picked the journal up from his wooden floor. Words were sprawled across the pages in sparkling pink crayon.

 **Body Swap!**

The page was titled. Ford's attention was immediately caught to what the pages contained. A clear yet not so accurate depiction of the sickly boy who showed up on his doorstep was drawn with connotations surrounding the horribly drawn figure.

 **Hello, BIG IMPORTANT JOURNAL that Dipper writes in instead of having social interactions. This is your new lord and master, MABEL! Well, actually, it's me Mabel inside Dipper's body. See; there's this whole body switching thing going on right now, but I won't bore you with all the science-y details. Let's just say that thanks to magie science Gravity Falls, Dip-Dop's body is temporarily Under new management.**

Thoughts swirled in Ford's mind as he skipped to the end of the entry.

 **I guess I'm not being fair to my brother... Dipper has done a lot of heroic stuff this summer and saved us all a few times. As brothers go, he's pretty much the best one I could ask for.**

Ford reread the last passage and a constant picking out certain words.

 **Heroic... Brother... Summer... Summer**

It's not summer. This journal barely existed during the summer. Questions flooded every inch of his mind. Questions that had to be answered and could be answered. The boy.

Ford slid the journal between his arms as he walked to his front door in a fast pace. He slipped a large coat onto his back and raced for his car keys. He remembered pushing the kid out a while ago only hoping he didn't go to far now. As he opened the door, he realized his wish was a little too granted.

A small pale figure lay face down in the snow only inches from the porch. Snow compounded on his body in large patches as if he had been there for a while. He looked as if the life of him had slowly been sucked out of him. He looked dead. His arms were turning a frosted blue and his clothes were stiff as if the had been soaked in water before freezing.

"Oh no," Ford whispered to himself. He ran to the boy and pulled him onto his back revealing a face nipped with frost. "What have I- what have I done?" Ford listened and watched for even the slightest sign of life. Finally, he heard a very faint and short inhale. Ford immediately rushed the body inside and placed him on the floor, hurrying to gather supplies.

"I'm a fucking idiot," he thought. "I just... He's..."

Ford returned to the Dipper's body with a couple heating pads and a heater. In full blast, he faced the heater towards Dipper and wrapped large blankets around him. He watched in silence as the heat warmed the chilling touch of the boy. After what seemed like hours, Ford began to notice Dipper's inhales more frequently. They became less forced with every breath he let out.

It would take some time before the kid would wake up. Ford picked up the journal three and started from the beginning.

 **Hey there!**

It read

 **My name is Dipper Pines...**

0o0

Dipper woke with a loud and constant buzz. His body felt numb. He felt as if his conscience was the only thing able to move; even if wasn't working as sharp.

His eyes were moving, or at least he thought they were. Everything was blurry beyond recognition and his ears did nothing but hum.

Dipper was finally able to recognize one thing at least. A familiar face came into view as he averted his eyes to the side. A face he had wanted to see for a while now. Maybe even a a face he was dreaming about. He couldn't remember.

"Grunkle Stan?" Dipper quietly mumbled. Was he home? Was that whole time traveling situation just a dream?

There was movement, then a pause of silence.

"Go back to sleep," the voice said in a calm voice. It didn't sound like Stan's voice, but Dipper was too tired to process who it belonged to.

"Where's Mabel?" Dipper asked trying to move his arms in a failed attempt. "I want to talk to her."

Another moment of silence.

"She is fine. Now go back to sleep," and as the voice commanded, Dipper gladly closed his eyes and didn't have to wait long for his conscience to slip under the influence of his weakened muscles.

0o0

It was dark outside and the only light in the room was luminously lit from a dim lamp on the other side of the room. Howls of wind could be heard through the creaking walls of the shack. And along with the sweeps of wind, Dipper woke to chills running through the pitt of his stomach in uncomfortable waves.

He sat up in bed while listening to the erie sounds of the night.

"Mabel?" He hoarsely whispered in an echo through the room. He looked to the right expecting to see a bed but only faced a barely lit empty corner.

"I thought..." Dipper said to himself. In defeat, Dipper lowered his eyes to his covers. Of course it wasn't real. He had only been dreaming.

Another chill swept through his body, this time making his torso shiver along with it. Dipper pulled his legs over the edge of the bed in an instant before hunching over.

He sat there for a second just waiting for himself to throw up, but it never came. Too unsettled to return to his slumber, Dipper stood from the bed and walked to the room exit hoping to find comfort in some water at least.

He opened the door to a dark, barely lit hallway, but knowing the layout of the house, Dipper set out. Creeks echoed through the halls with every step in harmony with the wind; almost making a tune you'd only hear in the movies.

As he crossed what he suspected was the bathroom, he heard thumps coming from upstairs.

His heart skipped a beat as the thumps became louder and faster. They were coming closer and the fact that he couldn't see anything didn't help.

Dipper quickly pushed his body up against the nearest wall and looked into the pitch darkness as he waited for the noise to go away.

The thumps stopped at what felt like a couple of feet away from him.

"Boy," a voice made him jump. "What in the world are you doing awake?"

With a clicking sound the light came on, momentarily blinding Dipper. Ford stood at the foot of the staircase with a bundle of papers in his arms. He wore some kind of goggles that seemed too big for his face, in which hid his expressions.

"I can't sleep," Dipper excused himself. "I feel really sick and-"

"Well that's because you are," Ford cut him mid-sentence as he descended the last steps. "You shouldn't be up and about in your condition." In a hurry, Ford reached and grabbed Dipper's wrist with a strong grip and began leading him towards the way Dipper came. "Come now, you need rest."

"Wait," Dipper resisted without much success. "I don't want to rest. I don't need rest. What happened? I can't remember much, and what I do remember is hard to tell if it's reality or not."

Ford stopped in his tracks. He turned and knelt on one knee before grabbing onto Dipper's shoulders and looking into his chocolate eyes.

"Listen to me, Dipper. I need information too, but you are in no condition to be out here. You need to get better and I need to sort things out before we can start talking. Got it? Trust me. If want to get yourself home then get back into that bed and sleep your fever off." Ford demanded. "I'll talk to you in the morning." He stood up and headed down a different path in a hurry.

Dipper watched him disappear around an unlit corner before succumbing to Ford's orders.

Dipper was able to reach the room he was placed in before hearing a loud thud. After the thud came a pained holler. With a fast pace, Dipper quickly made his way to the ruckus.

He approached what he recognized as the tv room. The room was dark and the room looked out of place. He flipped the nearby light switch on before watching in horror as Ford lay on the floor; blood gushing from his right eye as he struggled to sit up.

"Ford!" Dipper yelled rushing to his side. He kneeled by Ford hesitating to touch him not sure how he'd react. "I-I'll get a first aid kit."

Dipper ran to the kitchen remembering the last time he had used it. He remembered Mabel grabbing it from the top counter before going to the attic to heal his injuries from the night of her sock puppet play. He remembered how the band aids were too old to stick to his skin. In the end Mabel used her stickers with cotton balls as a substitute. But who knows where the kit could be now.

Dipper checked the top counter and sure enough, it lay along with other medical supplies. Stan never moved it all those years.

Dipper grabbed the kit by its handle and quickly made his back back to where he left Ford. Ford was able to sit up by the time Dipper had arrived.

"Thank you Dipper, but this is something a first aid kit cannot fix," Ford said wiping the still spilling blood from his cheek.

"W-what's wrong with your eye?"

"... I don't know." Ford replied

Dipper opened the first aid kit despite what Ford had stated. He stared at its contents remembering that night Mabel had brought it up to the room.

 _"Okay let's see what we have here," her voice replayed. "Some alcohol, gauze pads, band aids- ooh- bandages," she listed. "Dipper, remember how we used wrap this stuff over our arms and legs and pretend they were broken?"_

 _Dipper tiredly laughed as he lay backdown on his bed. "Yeah, now that my arm actually feels broken, it doesn't seem that funny anymore."_

 _"Well let's put this thing to actual use then," Mabel said as she unrolled to wrap. She approached Dipper as he forced himself up and began wrapping the bandage around his wrist._

 _"I'm sorry," she suddenly said._

 _"Mabel it's not your fault this happened."_

 _"Say whatever you want, it's not gonna make me feel better." She said. "If I'd just have helped you once, maybe you wouldn'tve been so desperate to ask for Bill's help."_

 _Dipper lowered his eyes knowing she was right, but he couldn't put the blame on her. "It's not your fault I was reckless."_

 _"I was reckless too. I know what I'd done." Mabel finished up as she tucked the last bit of bandage under her previous wraps. "I was being a sucky sister, but from now on I'll try my best to make up for it."_

Mabel's words echoed in his head as he transferred out of his daydream. "Maybe a gauze pad and some bandage wrap should stop the bleeding." Dipper said picking them out from their slots.

"That'd be preferable." Ford agreed wiping his eye again only for more blood to gush out. "You seemed to have found that first aid kit pretty easily." Ford observed as Dipper approached him with the supplies.

Dipper hesitated. He didn't think about that. "Yeah, I- uh... It was lying on the ground."

"Was it?"

Dipper nodded.

"There's no use in that act, Dipper. I know who you are. I read your- my journal. All of it. And I need some help wrapping my head around all of it." He said as Dipper placed the gauze on Ford's eye. "Why didn't you tell me at the start?"

"I didn't think you'd believe me." Dipper explained.

"Out of everything I've- you've seen in Gravity Falls, you think I wouldn't believe in time travel? I've believed in that stuff since I was your age."

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have told you but I never really got the chance."

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have thrown you out like that. I really thought you were working with Bill. It wasn't until I came across your journal entries that I began to think otherwise." Ford paused. "Bill tricked you too huh?"

Dipper paused. "How do you know-"

"Your sister. She wrote an entry about it- well, really for you."

Dipper lowered his eyes.

"I'm incredibly sorry Dipper. If I had known who you were, I wouldn't have done what I did, and now I feel incredibly guilty for my actions," Ford apologized.

"It's not your fault." Dipper said as he finished wrapping the bandage around Fords head and I to place.

"That's big of you, but I know what I'd done." Ford disagreed.

This seemed too much like déjà vu.

"Wait," Dipper paused. "What do you mean 'Bill tricked you too?'"

Ford sighed as he positioned the bandage on his eye that quickly stained with a dark red blotch. "I guess I have some explaining to do as well.


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay, okay! Stop the car!" Stan ordered clenching to his seat; clawing his fingernails into the seat's leather.

"Aw, come on. I think I got the hang of it," Mabel whined. "Please. Just a little longer?"

"Nu-uh," Stan huffed. "I've already had my fair share of near death experiences and I don't need one today. Besides, it's getting dark out."

Mabel succumbed to his orders in defeat as she parked the car. She sat in the drivers seat as she processed the steps to successfully stoping a car before unbuckling her seatbelt and jumping into the back seat. Mabel watched as Stan exited the passenger side in grunts and made his way to the drivers seat.

"That was fun," Mabel commented as Stan buckled himself in. "I've driven golf carts before but cars are way more complicated... And awesome." She exclaimed.

"Yeah, well you damn near crashed us like four times. I don't know what I was thinking when I let you drive but I must've had some kinda death wish." Stan said as he started up the engine. He pulled the sun blocker down and flipped the top to the mirror to reveal his face, still raw from Las Vegas. Swelled scars marked every feature his face possessed in red streaks and purple stains.

Mabel watched form the backseat as Stan gingerly caressed the injuries before quickly retreating his hand in pain. "Shit!" He yelled. "This stings like hell. Is this ever gonna heal up?"

"I told you we should stop for a bit and let yourself get some energy," Mabel said in an 'I told you so' manner.

"Yeah? And what're you? My doctor?"

Mabel only playfully rolled her eyes in response.

"I've taken worse beatings before. I'll be fine."

The last time Stan had said he was fine, he could barely breathe without yelping in pain causing even more groans, but still, he insisted in moving to their destination.

Mabel grabbed three cookies from a small bag Stan had bought for her when they stopped in Beatty, Nevada. Stan instructed her quickly run inside and buy some drinks and snacks with a 10 dollar Bill, and so she did. Since then they had driven the rest of the night, which wasn't long, and stopped at a small rest stop before sleeping their make-up nap from the previous night.

Mabel pushed herself to the front seat after unbuckling her seatbelt. With ease, her small body landed in the leather cushion, and in no words offered Stan a cookie, which he rejected after a eyeing look of temptation. Mabel looked out the window taking a bite of her cheap but still delicious cookie.

Mabel watched trees pass by in the dim light the sunset gave were so many. They stood vertically as if the steep hills of the mountain side did not effect their growth, and stood tall in their triumph of making it to a hopefully long lived adulthood. They no longer needed the hopeful assistance of nearby animals or people to grow, but only seemed to thrive in the independent form they had grown to be.

The landscape had grown more and more alike the one in Gravity Falls. Forestry left and right with the sight of a few deer or raccoons every once in a while reminded Mabel of what she couldn't wait to gat back to. Stan said it himself before they stopped; Oregon wasn't too far away. It was only a matter of time before she found her way back home.

She was in too deep to stop now, but what if her plan didn't work out? She can't stay in a world where she doesn't even exist, at least, not yet. Where would she go? Who would she stay with?

Questions she feared when she first came into this timeline struck her with a sudden realization all over again.

Mabel gave a glance to Stan. For a second, she didn't see a young brown haired man in rags. She saw the familiar old man with the smug look of confidence plastered under every wrinkle the man had gained throughout the years and that black suit he always wore. But the image of her Grunkle Stan disappeared just as quickly as it came leaving Mabel to stare at not Grunkle Stan, but just Stan- as far as he knows.

Of course she had Stan, but as far as he's concerned, Mabel is just a task; not a responsibility. He would take her, and leave her thinking he has done right by her and that would be that. Unless...

"Hey kid," Stan's voice interrupted. "We just got into Oregon."

Mabel watched out the window as a ' **Welcome to Oregon** ' sign came into view validating Stan's words.

"So, what'd ya say this place was called?" He asked.

"Gravity Falls," Mabel replied.

"Huh, never heard of it."

"Yeah," Mabel laughed as she remembered what her brother had said when they had arrived to the small Oregon town. He complained how it was stupid that their parents sent Mabel and him to a place where they had never been before with people they had never met before.

"I mean," Dipper's voice replayed in her head. "This place isn't even on most maps. Out of all places why here?"

"It isn't on most maps." She finished. "It's kinda secluded."

"Well I hope it's not far. I just wanna get this done." Stan said in exhaustion. "I could really use a break."

"... Stan..." Mabel quietly said. The sun was already almost completely set in little to no time as Mabel stared at Stan in incredibly dim lighting.

"What is it, kiddo."

"I-I..." Mabel hesitated. "I have to tell you something." She said slowly. There was no backing out now.

"Okay then. Out with it."

Mabel paused again making sure to pick her words very carefully. "Ok..."

"I can do this. I can do this." Mabel repeated to herself mentally.

"Are you gonna tell me or am I just gonna have to wait?"

"My name is Mabel Pines," she spat quickly but clearly. Stan reacted just as she thought he would. He laughed.

"Is that what you've been taking so long to tell me? That you have the same last name as me? I don't wanna disappoint you but that info isn't so useful now."

"No," Mabel tried to explain. She knew this would happen, yet she still hoped he would believe her and what she was trying to say. "You're my great uncle and I'm you're great niece. Stan, I'm related to you."

"Heh, yeah right. And I'm the richest man on Earth." He mocked.

"W-wha- do you need proof?" Mabel desperately asked getting onto her knees. The car had suddenly became incredibly claustrophobic and hot. She wanted to slip out of her sweater as she felt sweat gather in its woolen material. Uncomfortable and disgusting. "I-I know your name is Stanley Pines-"

"Yeah? No dip, Sherlock. I already introduced myself to you." He interrupted. "Okay. What're ya getting out of this little talk?"

Mabel continued ignoring Stan's comment. "You have two brothers. A twin brother who is the oldest by a few minutes- Stanford, and Shermie Pines, the youngest by many years."

Mabel watched as Stan's smile faded into a stare of thought before continuing. "I know you grew up in Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey. You boxed and and grew up with Ford close by your side. You called him 'Sixer'.

At this point, Stan's face was hardened. "You were kicked out of your house because of a stupid mistake you did in high school and here you are now." She finished.

"How could you possibly know all of this?"

"Stan, I need you to hear me carefully. I'm not from this time. In about 16-18 years from now, Shermie's son will become a dad to my me and my brother. Shermie is my grandpa... And you're my great uncle. My Grunkle."

"N-no. This isn't possible."

"I'm from the year 2012." Mabel explained. "I... Something happened and I ended up here. I've been trying to find a way to get back since I got here-"

"Wait, wait. If you're... From the future, then that means there's no home for you, is there?" Stan thought out loud in an interruption. "Where the hell do you got me going!"

"Well, it's no like I've got you in some fantasy run. I really do need to get to Gravity Falls."

"And do what?"

Mabel paused. "There's a really smart man who I know can help me get home. And you and I know him."

"Me?"

"I need you to take me to Ford- your brother."

Cutting off any chance for a reaction, the car jerked in swerves as the incredibly powerful forces pushed Mabel into the dashboard.

"Kid!" She could barely hear.

Yet the car didn't stop. It was as if the wheels' movement wasn't in sync with the driver's wheel as Stan struggled to regain control over the vehicle. Meanwhile Mabel lay limp on the seat as she struggled to comprehend what was going on. Her head ached from the impact and her vision was blurry and distorted.

"Shit!" She heard a faint scream before a sickening shatter rang in her ears. It wouldn't go away and it seemed to get louder. It sounded as an ear-piercing bell that never stopped on its first ring. A never ending sound that couldn't seem to go away. Then she heard nothing. She saw nothing. She felt nothing.

This peace only lasted for a small while before a pain shot up her back and chilled her bones. She opened her eyes that she didn't even know were closed finding herself on the ground. Dirt and dried grass dented into her skin as she lay on the bare forestry floor.

Her senses came back in waves. First came the pain. It was unbearable. She wanted to scream but it would only cause more. Her chest felt heavy and her limbs were sore.

Then came her vision. It was dark. She could not see any light but the moon's. Where was Stan?

Mabel painfully pushed herself to her knees in success as she looked as far as she could see. "Stan?" She said barely able to hear her own voice.

She stood to her feet and stumbled a few feet into the ditch she noticed she was in. She looked to see what had happened. The railing in the road was damaged. A hole clearly visible. It looked as if the car spiraled out of control and ran off the road. But where is it now?

Mabel carried on. She walked a few more feet before noticing light behind shrubs.

"Stan." She thought as she fastened her pace. Mabel moved past the shrubs in which his the light only to find Stan's red El Diablo with half of it hidden in a sparkling liquid that reflected the moon's light off of the surface.

"Stan." She hesitantly whispered after realizing how deep the car was subducted under the water. It was a small pond covering less than an acre of land, but who knows how deep it was. Mabel raced to the water; hesitant to get in before finally running to the car. The water was icy and nipped at her skin even more than the frosty air. Her bones ached from the cold as she approached the car. Mabel peered in seeing Stan leaned against the wheel in an unconscious state.

The water was to Mabel's waist. She still had time to get him out, but the car was still sinking. In a hurry, Mabel pulled at the door handle but it wouldn't budge. She banged on the window, but not a single crack appeared on the glass. Finally, she reached into her sweater and pulled out her grappling hook. With trembling hands, from both the cold and fear, Mabel fired. The hook hit the window; shattering the glass into big pieces as they fell into the water.

She climbed in, cutting herself with the sharp ends of the glass left in the window frame without a care I the world. The water was now shoulder high. Mabel frantically pulled at Stan's arms thankful he wasn't wearing a seatbelt for once.

Stan was fairly light, for the water reduced his weight, however, Mabel was weak and she struggled to pull him out through the window. Once his body was out, Mabel forced him to shore. She wasn't swimming; Mabel was able to reach the floor but she could not move so swiftly against the water.

"Stan." Mabel whispered hanging over Stan's sleeping body once reaching land. She could still see his beaten face as she waited for a response. In sudden anger, Mabel hit Stan in the chest with a weak fist. "Stan." She said louder. She tried again, even harder and louder. "Stan!"

As if her prayers were answered, Stan's eyes shot open. His brown eyed averted left and right as he adjusted to his surroundings. Mabel broke out in a smile that ended in tears.

"Stan." She cried as she wrapped her scraped arms around him not caring about the pain. "I-I was so scared."

"Hey." Stan whispered. "It's okay."

His arms lifted as the girl squeezed his torso. She clung on in desperation as her tears soaked his clothes even more than they already were. Stan thought back onto what Mabel had told him.

"I'm you're great niece. You're my great uncle. My Grunkle."

He had family. And apparently she was it.

"I wanna go home." Mabel bawled. The usually loud voice small and frail. So innocent and helpless.

"I know... Pumpkin. " Stan said as he slowly wrapped his arms around Mabel's small figure. "Me too."


	11. Chapter 11

Dipper's side

"Does Great Uncle Ford sit well by you?" Dipper asked as he sat by Ford.

"I don't don't know what to think of that," Ford expressed. "Out of anything, I never figured I would be anything this early but a son and brother."

Ford lowered his eyes as he spoke. He stared at his journal resting on his lap. "I guess I haven't been a very good one of either."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you do what you did?" Dipper questioned. "Stan was left with nothing but his wits, which doesn't account for much. He didn't have money, or even the slightest clue on how to survive out on the streets."

"He should have thought of that before he ruined my future." Ford spat with bitterness before showing a hint of sadness at the end.

"Really, Ford?"

"No... I do feel remorse. Reading that journal you have with you; after everything you wrote, I couldn't chose whether I was still angry with him or not. I was pushed by anger and selfishness, which didn't help since I was so young at the time." Ford sighed.

"I-it's okay Great Uncle Ford. I'm not judging you as much as you think I am."

"Gee, thanks." He responded with a small smile. "So, how do I look as a 70 year old," Ford joked with a warm smile. "Do I at least have my hair?"

"Well, except for the wrinkles and obvious aging there's not a big difference." Dipper laughed. His lips creased into a smile as Ford's did the same. "But keep in mind I've only known the 70 year old you for not even a few hours."

Ford laughed before lowering his eyes and voice once again only to meet Dipper with saddened eyes. "Is he still harsh with Stanley?"

Dipper stared at Ford in confusion as he waited for Ford to explain.

"My older self." He said. "Is he still harsh?"

Dipper's silence answered his question as Ford buried his face in his hands. "I thought I was so smart. I thought I'd seen it all, but I'm no more than a fool."

"It's okay." Dipper comforted. "I can say the same thing about myself. I just wanna get home."

Ford glanced the the Dipper. The bill of his hat covering most of his features as he stared down. "Yeah, we should probably talk about that." He suggested.

Dipper looked up to meet eyes with Ford.

"I've been thinking about ways to get you home and I figured a number a problems." Ford said as Dippers heart skipped a few beats. "First of all time travel doesn't exist in this time. I read in your journal of a time machine you've used before, but I. could not find one on you. Any ideas?"

"No. My sister and I were fighting over it." Dipper explained. "The thing went off on us and that's why I'm here. How long have I been here anyway?"

"Almost two weeks. And that's another problem." Ford stood up and walked to his desk on the other side of the room as Dipper followed. Ford reached into a file cabinet full of loose notebook paper covered top to bottom in writing. "I've read the part about Blendan Blar Blar or whatever his name is, and it seems he has only been absent from his time for no more than a few days each visit. You, on the other hand, are aging in the past, which I don't know how drastic this could be once you return back home, for I know nothing of time travel. But this could alter your aging process; who knows."

"Wouldn't I just be older than I'm supposed to be?"

"I'm starting to think going back won't be the safest thing to do."

"No." Dipper insisted. "I've don't it before. It... It'll be fine."

"I don't know, Dipper."

"Well how else am I supposed to go back home. I can't live in a world where I'm not even supposed to exist!"

"Yes, Dipper. I know." Ford said calmly. He gave the papers to Dipper and let him read over it as he spoke. "Also, you may be returning back to a timeline in which you will already exist. That means there will be two of you, and if you come in contact, you could rip the fabric of time. Keep in mind that these are theories. Very educated theories. I could be totally wrong but they are precautionary. "

"So what am I supposed to do?" Dipper asked in defeat. It hurt his head to think of all the possibilities or all the caution he had to take. It was like an unsolvable jigsaw puzzle he was being forced to solve when all he wanted to do was rest.

"Well, if I can get a good look at how a time machine works I could probably somehow find you a way back." Ford paused. He walked to Dipper and put his six fingered hands on his small shoulders. "Look. We'll get you home. Okay?"

Dipper stared at the floor in silence. He finally looked to Ford's tired eyes.

"Okay."

* * *

"What're we gonna do?" Mabel said sitting next to Stan; both wet and cold.

The sun was slowly rising above the forested mountains. They had been sitting near the road for the night hoping cars would pass by and take them to the nearest town, but no such luck.

"I don't know." He replied. He heavily sighed and cupped his face in his large hands. "Everything's gone. My money. My car."

Mabel huddled in her still damp sweater. She felt around for her possessions when she noticed something missing. The time machine.

Mabel began panicking as Stan watched confused. "The measure tape; I lost it! Oh my god. It's gone!" She yelled pulling off her sweater. She shook the sweater watching as her grappling hook, a drawing, and cookie crumbs tumbled out of her pink sweater. But still no time machine.

"You talking about this?" Stan asked pulling a small item out of his pocket. He held out the damaged box Mabel was frantic for. Mabel quickly took I and looked it over. The device was soaked and a panel came off showing the inside and it's circuits. It seemed beyond saving.

"I saw it on the floorboards. I been wondering what it was." Stan explained.

Mabel stared at the tape measure holding it ever so delicately. "It's my way home."

"What?" Stan questioned.

"It's a time machine. It's how I got here, but now it's broken. That's why we need to get to Ford. I was hoping he could fix it and get me home."

Stan watched Mabel stare somberly at the device. "I'm starting to think I won't be able to."

"Okay." He quickly cut in standing up in a huff. "Let's go." Stan began walking do the road.

"Go where?"

"Gravity Falls." He said turning to look at Mabel. "We need to get ya home don't we?" He held out his hand, which Mabel gladly took with a smile. After all that had happened, he still hadn't given up on her.

Stan looked back to where the car crashed. The rails on the road completely damaged as the tires' skid marks left on the road as the only evidence of what happened. The car, completely subducted under water with his the contents of his life inside. Everything was beyond saving.

Stan continued down the roading leading Mabel in his hand.

Now it's all gone.

Except for Mabel.

 **I'm really sorry this chapter was hella short but it's all I was able to write in the time being. Anyway, I hoped you liked. If you're enjoying this story, please, write a review. I love to see your guys' thoughts**.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys! I'm sorry its been a while. I'm trying my best, I really am. this took forever to write, and I tried to write more to make up for the really short chapter last update. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. We're getting there guys! Please feel free to share your thoughts. I love reading your reviews, and keep them coming. Without your guys' support, I wouldn't have continued with this story. real quick, I want to thank those who have been supporting the story!

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You all are so great! I swear, I could not have better readers than you all!

 **If you have questions or something you want to say, I will be responding to your guys' reviews in the next update. of course, you can try, but I won't be spoiling future planned events.**

* * *

Dipper's side

Gravity Falls was oddly similar to the one in the 2012. It's seemed as if the citizens never cared about the modernness of the town to repair or rebuild any of these buildings. But Dipper wasn't surprised. Gravity Falls would make you think you're in the mid 1800s during any timeline.

Dipper paved the snow covered street, watching as the younger versions of familiar faces went about their day. Adults he once knew were now being guided down the sidewalks: their young hands in their parents'.

He kept his head down as he tried not to call too much attention to himself. The last thing he wanted was to somehow alter someone's future. He stared at the puffy ice as he walked into it step by step; caving his shoe prints temperarily into the sidewalk.

Gravity Falls snowed its fair share for the day, and it's been a while since Dipper had been able to get out, so Ford figured he'd send Dipper to run a few errands; especially since he had been feeling much better the past few days.

"Would you mind going into town and grabbing some food for the week? We're running low." Ford's suggestion replayed in his mind. "There's a small convenience store in the town. It's called 'Dusk2Dawn'."

Ford sat a small paper plate of microwaved sausage in front of Dipper before heading to make a cup of coffee. Dipper poked at the food.

"Yeah," Dipper said. "I remember that place."

"Good, you know where it is then?"

Dipper nodded. "You're sending me grocery shopping?" He asked looking up from his unappetizing breakfast.

"I just want you do get out of this house. It's not good for you to be cooped up in here for so long."

"Well what happens if I run into someone? Would it somehow change their future?"

"As long as you don't call too much attention to yourself, you should be fine. Just try to avoid as many people as possible." He instructed.

Dipper sighed. "Okay." He slowly ate the sausages sitting on his plate. They tasted like cardboard, but he couldn't complain. At least it was something. He watched as Ford pulled a chair and sat down next to him; staring at a paper of calculations.

"Hey, Ford?" Dipper said gaining Ford's attention. "Thanks for these clothes. Having to reuse that same shirt for these past few weeks have been kinda annoying."

Ford softly smiled. "Well, I had them in storage and figured I'd better put them to use after all these years." He laughed before slowly lowering his bagged eyes. "You remind me of myself, Dipper. At least, when I was your age. You're just, so full of life and hope."

Dipper listened.

"I envy you these days." Ford heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his face into his hands. "Goodness, I need sleep."

"Ford, are you okay?" Dipper asked.

Ford stared at the table in thought for a second before sharing a glance with Dipper.

"I'm... I'm fine. Well, I need to tend to some business. Why don't you head into town?" He quickly changed the subject. "Grab my coat off the rack. It will be big but it will do the job. Here," he said reaching into his pant pocket. "Take 20 dollars. That should be enough for bread, eggs, milk, and coffee. If there's anything left, feel free to spend it on whatever you like."

And with that. he left the room in a hurry.

He insisted he was fine, but Dipper could see Ford has been getting worse every day. He acts normal when Dipper is around, as if his company makes him feel better, but Dipper can still see that he is being less of himself every passing day.

And it's not just his personality. He repeatedly bleeds from his right eye; he complains of headaches so bad he can't think, and he passes out every once in a while; leaving Dipper to drag him to his bed for the rest of the night.

On those same nights, Dipper wakes up in the middle of the night hearing shuffling along the floorboards. Every now and then, he could hear Ford humming or banging. Dipper didn't think much of it. Ford was a busy man, and he thought Ford was just tending to important business.

However, one night, Dipper swore he heard heavy footsteps walk to his door and open it. He could feel Ford's presence in the room, and he was there for a while before walking out in quiet chuckles. It's was extremely creepy for Dipper.

The next morning, Ford didn't say anything about what occurred that night, so Dipper never asked. Still, he could never stop thinking about it.

A small ding rang throughout the building as Dipper opened the door to the convenience store he came across the first few days he'd arrived in Gravity Falls. It looked more lifelike than he remembered.

He recognized many faces immediately, such as the owners. They looked so happy; hugging one another behind the cashier; watching the customers pick out their favorite treats. If their first impression wasn't terrifying ghosts trying to kill him and his friends, he may have thought they were jovial old folk.

Dipper looked around the brightly lit store as he noticed faces such as officer Blubbs and Lazy Susan. They were so young. Seeing them like this in person almost seemed surreal.

Dipper grabbed everything Ford instructed him to buy before heading towards the cash register.

"Is that everything?" Came a sweet old voice that almost made Dipper shudder. It sounds the same.

Dipper nodded. Before noticing a rack full of Candy bars nearby. He grabbed a small chocolate bar and placed it on the counter. Ford did say he could treat himself.

"Say, I haven't seen you around these parts before," the old woman said as she packaged the items into a paper bag. "You new here?"

Dipper shook his head as he tried not to interact, just as Ford told him not to.

"Well, I see you're not much of a speaker. That'll be $12.32."

Dipper handed her the money and received his change before bolting out of the store. Thank god. That place was giving him the creeps.

He sat down on the wet curb and dug through the bag as he tried to find his candy bar. Finding the bar, he blissfully bit into the chocolate as he tried to remember the last time he'd eaten one. Ford doesn't have candy in the house; he barely even has real food, So this was like paradise.

Dipper took his hat off; exposing his messy brown curls to the cold as he stared at the PineTree marked on the front.

Ford said he'd need the time machine Dipper used to get here to even think about finding a way home. But he never had it. He sighed before picking himself up and headed back to the shack.

How was he going to play this?

* * *

"Well, here we are." Stan said as he jumped off of the vehicle. A bus passing by had been kind enough to let Mabel and Stan board when they were seen on the side of the road. They were taken to the nearest town where they were dropped off.

"Thanks for the ride." Stan appreciated the driver as he helped Mabel off the bus.

"You and you're daughter be safe," the driver said before driving off.

"He's nice." Mabel smiled. "I wish everyone was like that." She suddenly frowned thinking about the men in the parking lot.

"Come on." Stan ordered as he grabbed Mabel's hand. He led her away from the bus stop and into a small parking lot.

"What are we doing?"

"I'm gonna borrow one of these people's car." He said with a smile.

"Like, steal a car?" Mabel doubted. "Are you serious?"

"How else do you think were gonna get to Gravity Falls?" He looked down at Mabel. "You choose."

Mabel looked around the area doubting Stan's choices before shrugging. If it was going to get her home then it surely will be worth it.

"That one over there." Mabel pointed to a small maroon truck the size to fit two people.

"Okay, not bad. Got a hanger?" Stan asked as he approached the truck.

"No." She replied. "I've got a grappling hook."

Stan stared at the driver side door in thought before taking the grappling hook from Mabel's hands. He aimed the grappling hook at the window and fired. The hook sprang into the glass; shattering it into small pieces.

Almost immediately, a siren blared.

"Stan!"

"Relax, kid." He assured. "Trust me. I've done my fair share of stealing cars. I know what I'm doing. How do you think I got my El Diablo?"

He reached into the broken window and pulled on the lock. A click rang throughout Mabel's ears as Stan opened the door.

"Bingo." He grabbed the hook and plunged it into the dashboard. With a small pull, the dashboard easily came off; exposing wires.

"Stan, we gotta hurry." Mabel warned as she looked for anyone coming.

"Got anything sharp?" He asked looking to Mabel. She shook her head in response. "Shit. Hey, hand me the largest piece of glass you can find."

Mabel scanned the ground paved with broken glass before carefully picking up the biggest piece she could find and handed it to Stan.

"Thanks, kid." He said as he sawed through the wires.

"Hey!" A voice yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Mabel looked to see a man running over to them. He stumbled over his feet as he desperately tried to reach them.

"Stan!"

"I'm going, I'm going."

Finally, Mabel heard the engine roar to life. "In! Get in!" Stan ordered. Mabel ran to the other side of the vehicle and opened the door. She jumped in and locked the door. In relief of the two thieves, Stan backed out of the parking lot just as the owner reached the car.

"Hey!" The man screamed as he pounded on the window of Mabel's side; following the car onto the road. She stared at him with guilt as Stan zoomed away leaving the man stranded with no car.

"Man." Stan sighed. "That was close."

"I can't believe we just did that." Mabel put her hand to her forehead. "What happens if we get caught?"

"Relax. Once we get to Gravity Falls, we're ditching the car. Okay? this is just so we make sure we make it there." Stan assured only shrugging the crime off.

"Couldn't we have just walked?"

Stan laughed. "Not in this weather. I don't know about you but I don't wanna walk 45 minutes through snow."

"Wait, we're only 45 minutes away?" Mabel questioed straitening in her seat.

"Yeah." Stan smiled. "Don't worry sweetie. I'm gonna make sure you get home."

* * *

It had started snowing again. This time even harder with some wind, but Dipper didn't mind. He was just waiting for it to calm so he could get back to the shack.

Dipper was just thankful he never had to grow up in this weather back home. He'd always wished a blizzard would wash through the city and cancel school when he was smaller, just like the cities east, but this was a pain to deal with. He was thankful for what he had.

He sat in a vacant booth at the Greasy's diner; looking out the window as he watched white flakes swish and swirl outside. He had been there for a while and it looked like it hadn't calmed down.

Finally, Dipper decided to call Ford. He was probably wondering why he was taking so long. Dipper walked to the telephone booth and slipped a quarter into the slot.

Oh, wait. He didn't know Ford's number.

"Excuse me." Dipper said to an employee nearby sweeping the floor of dust and trash. "Um- do you have a phone book?"

"On the counter, Hun." She said before getting back to work.

Dipper grabbed the directory and flipped to the letter 'P'.

Paul.

Perry.

Pircel.

Pines.

There was only one name on this page with the last name of 'Pines', and it was Ford. Dipper copied the numbers into the telephone and put it to his ear.

"Who is this?" Came a tired voice after a few rings.

"Uh- it's Dipper." He responded.

"Oh, okay. Where are you?"

"I'm at the Greasy's Diner. It started snowing so I thought I'd wait it out, but it doesn't look like it's gonna for a while." Dipper explained as he kept watch of his belongings sitting in the booth.

"Well, why don't you go ahead and just start heading home." Ford said. "I don't want you in the town for too long. Be careful."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

Dipper placed the phone back in its holder and walked to his booth. He picked the bag of groceries into his arms and headed out of the door. His hat sat inside the bag so the wind wouldn't blow it away. Just to be safe. The last think he wanted was his favorite hat to be blown into the forest.

He stepped out of the diner to be met with a frosty wind biting at his skin. He kept his head down and dug his mouth into the coat to keep him warm for the walk home.

* * *

"I can't believe we're actually here." Mabel smiled as she tried to keep herself from jumping off her seat. She shook her legs in excitement as she gawked out the window.

The town looked so different covered in snow. There were many recognizable buildings but they felt so out of place.

It was a little hard to see due to the snow, but it still didn't keep her from staring.

"So, do you know where this place is?" Stan asked.

"Yeah." Mabel answered looking at the streets. "Cut through the town here." She pointed at a road and Stan turned towards it.

As they neared the end on the town, Mabel pointed towards a small path the size of one car. "Just follow this road. The shack is at the end of it." Stan heaved a shaky sigh as he rubbed his hands on his pants.

"Are you okay?" Mabel asked.

"I'm nervous." He weakly laughed. "Ya know- to talk to my brother. I-it's just been so long."

"Stan, it's okay. Just act normal."

"Easier said than done. I just- I don't wanna..."

"Hey, whatever happens; I'm here. And however this goes, if I get home, I promise, this all is gonna be worth it.

Stan stared onto the road before seeing a figure ahead him. It seemed to be walking slowly as the car quickly approached it.

"Oh shit." Stan hesitantly moved the car as far to the side of the road as he could go. He honked the horn as they came closer. The figure looked back and moved out of the way. Mabel looked as the car passed the person. It was hard to see, but it looked small. It looked like a kid.

"What's a kid doing out here?" Mabel asked.

"Beats me. Probably exploring or something."

"Out in the snow?"

"What, have you never seen kids play in the snow?" Stan asked with a smirk.

"It's only snowed once in Piedmont. And it was barely any, so, no. I haven't. Unless you count tv."

Stan laughed. "Kids go crazy in that stuff. Makes me wish I grew up in it. When I was up in New York City, it snowed for days; trapped me in my room."

"Wow." Mabel said amazed.

They sat in silence as they drove on. The wind howled past them making Mabel thankful they hadn't walked there. Finally, through the shadows of the blinding brightness of the snow, they could see a building. From what Mabel could see, it stood just like she remembered it, except more new and taken care of.

"This is it." Mabel said in awe.

Stan gave the house a glance before sighing a deep sigh.

"Come on." Mabel said opening the door only to be hit with a strong, cold wind. She struggled to close the door as the force of the wind pulled her with it. She could hear Stan's laugh through the howling of the wind.

They met together at the front of the car. Stan stood staring at the house. "So this is where he's been all these years." Mabel barely heard him say.

She looked up at him before putting her hand in his. He glanced down to her, receiving a cheerful smile. About no one could hate that braces filled smile she had. She pulled at Stan's hand as she led him to the porch.

Once at the front door, Mabel knocked. She and Stan waited, thankful the house blocked most of the wind.

"Man." Mabel said as they waited for a response. "It's freezing."

Without a word, Stan took off his coat and threw it onto Mabel's shoulders. She gave him a smile as she put her arms through it. The coat was way too big for her small body, but she enjoyed the warmth it provided.

Then, the door opened with a creak. A young man looking just like her Grunckle, staring tiredly at a book, stood at the entrance. Mabel couldn't believe her eyes. Ford.

"I already told you where the extra keys were hid-" He stopped mid-sentence the second he looked up from the book. The book fell from his hands as he stared at Stan and Mabel with wide eyes.

"Hey sixer."


	13. Chapter 13

"Stanley." Ford stood dumbfounded. He gawked to and from Stan and the little girl standing next to him. "Wha- I- uh... I wasn't expecting you."

"I know." Stan said as he struggled to keep eye contact with Ford's wide eyes. "We need to talk."

Ford looked down to the girl who stared at him with puppy eyes. She looked ragged; her long brown hair lay matted with tangles, and her skin was rusted with dirt and scars. A large dirty coat lay on her body covering her form and clothes.

In lack of a response, Ford opened the door further and stepped out of the way to allow the pair to enter.

The girl was the first to enter. She almost bolted ahead of Stan as she stared at the interior as if she's never been inside a house before.

'Poor girl' was all Ford could think as he watched her enter.

Next was Stan. He entered with his head down. Ford noticed Stan slip in a few quick side glances as he walked beside him into the living room.

"Stan, look." The girl cheered walking up to her guardian. She held up a maroon colored cap with a golden symbol stitched to the front.

"Mom's hat." Stan whispered as he slowly took it from her hands. She Smiled a bright braces filled smile to his response.

"She wanted you to have it." Ford said. Stan's eyes darted to Ford, not expecting him to speak. "She said if she would ever see you again, the first thing she would do is give it to you; after giving you a hug, of course." He halfheartedly chuckled.

Stan responded with a heartfelt smile as Ford did the same, but it quickly formed to a saddened frown.

Ford forcefully coughed as he tried to gain his brother's attention. "Um, Stanley would you mind helping me grab some warm drinks in the kitchen?" Stan immediately began his course to the kitchen and stopped at the doorway as he waited for Stan.

Stan stood unsure as he hesitantly looked to the girl. She stared back at him before nudging her head with a comforting smile.

"Ok-um, just stay put." Stan whispered.

"Ok." She complied as she sat down on a wooden chair positioned far across the room.

Stan and Ford shared a glance as he walked through the walkway to the kitchen. Ford watched as the girl sitting in the chair happily swung her feet before following Stan. Once they reached the kitchen, and out of ear shot of the girl, Ford stopped Stan.

"What do you need?" Stan asked.

"I'm sorry but I had to speak to you in private. What are you doing here?" Was all Ford could ask. "Wait, wait. First of all, who in the heavens is sitting in my living room?"

Stan's stare immediately hardened. "Are you serious?"

"What?"

"You we haven't seen each other for over ten years, and that's the only thing you can ask me? No, 'hello brother, how's ur shitty life been these past few years'?" Stan huffed in disappointment.

"Excuse me for wanting to know how you found my house."

Ford spat as he placed a cup of hot chocolate in the microwave. "And now you have a girl with you." He paused before heaving an exhausted sigh. "Look, Stan, I already have enough problems I have to deal with, and I really don't need-"

"Another problem?" Stan interrupted. "Is that what I am to you?"

"No. Stanley, of course not. I just... I really cannot be distracted right now."

"I can't afford to do that."

Stanford didn't respond. He silently poured two cups of steaming hot coffee. Stan approached his brother as they glared each other down.

"Do you know what I went through to get here? Everything I've lost?" Stan growled. "I have nothing left, and now you're just gonna push me off to the side? Again?"

"Stanley, I'm not accountable for you and what you've done. All I'm saying is that I don't want you on the bad end if the stick when this ends, so I advise you take the girl and leave as quickly as you can manage."

"I can do that, but the girl stays." Stan said emphasizing his sentence with his stare.

"Pardon me?" Ford objected. "You can't just show up at my house and abandon your child. That's not how it works."

"Well, maybe if you'll just hear me out I won't have to-"

"My god- Stanley, you're just the same. After ten years you haven't changed." Ford interrupted. "You still only care about yourself enough to leave your priority; your responsibility in my hands to clean up. You've been making me clean you're messes all my life and now you come back just to do it again? Well, not anymore. I'm sorry Stanley but you're on your own." He grabbed the hot chocolate out of the microwave and placed it next to Stan's cup of coffee.

"Fuck you, Stanford." Stan spat staring Ford down with a grim glare. Was that really what his brother, who was once his best and only friend, had always thought of him? Stan couldn't help but feel hurt, but all he could show for it was anger.

Ford's eyes widened in disbelief. Those words have never been directed to him before. Stan would cuss out those who tried to pick fights with him and Ford when they were younger, or to those who harmed the two in any way, but never in his life would he have imagined Stan would say it to him.

"You think I wanna be here? To be shunned from you; again? The only reason I'm standing here in front of you is because of that girl in your living room." Stan said lowering his voice so she couldn't hear the conversation. "Now if you'll just shut the hell up and let us explain, maybe this girl and I won't be in your hands for too long."

Without another word, Stan aggressively picked up the two mugs for him and Mabel and began to make his way back to the living room. "Come on." He said just as he left. "We all need to have a talk."

Mabel waited patiently as her grunkles chatted. She could hear small whispers and the mumbles of their voices but no word was made out. And although the conversation didn't last more than 5 minutes, Mabel felt as though she had been waiting for hours. Her heart beating fast pace, and the room becoming stuffy from anxiety didn't help either.

Finally she heard Stan walking towards her.

"Hey kid. Come here." His voice boomed.

Mabel stood up and hastily made her way to Stan's side. He handed her a warm mug of hot chocolate that made her numb fingers tingle. She smiled at him and took a nice long whiff of the drink before gulping it down. Mabel was halfway done with the hot chocolate when she saw Ford walk into the room. She picked her head up and stared at him as he struggled to say something.

"Well." He finally said. "Let's get this 'meeting' started."

Dipper's side

He found it strange that someone would come down this road in this weather. Or in general, which caused him to fasten his pace, but he can only go so fast when the wind is blowing him back so fiercely.

It was horrible outside. How could anybody learn to live in this weather? Sure it would be nice once he's inside, but he can't even see the shack yet. It's seemed so far away.

Finally, the shadow of the shack came into view. And sure enough, there was a stranger's vehicle at the side of the house. Who could it be? No one came to this place. Not even the government Dipper supposed.

It wasn't until he reached the entrance of the shack that the wind stopped nipping at his exposed skin. He stomped up the wooden porch in an attempt to shake the compounded snow off of the soles of his boots, and reached for the handle of the door.

"Dang it, where did Ford say the key was again?" Dipper said to himself after realizing the door was locked. "I swear, he needs to stop relocating it."

"And of all days to send me out, he chooses to send me out on the day of a snow storm." Dipper continued complaining as he searched for the key to the house. "Wasn't forecast invented this time in history?" His eyes swept the ground looking for anything that could be buried under the snow when indentions in the snow caught his eye. There lay two pairs of footprints, that concluded his theory of guests that were indeed inside the house.

With his mind still focused on who might be inside, he lifted a stone gnome decoration to find a brass key.

He gently smiled at the thought of finally being warm inside the house as he lifted the key into his fingers and slipped it through the slot. He twisted the key, and with a click the door unlocked.

Dipper twisted the knob and pushed the door open. He was met with a warm gust of air; melting some of the frost that was accumulating on his face. He stepped into the shack and closed the door behind him, which immediately brought the howling wind to a silent growl. And as he locked the door, he could hear mumbles coming from the other room.

Mabel's side.

"Go on, kid." Stan said as he crossed his arms and sat comfortably in a chair beside her. Well, as comfortable as he could get.

Mabel stared at Ford who sat in front of her. He sat waiting for words to come out of her mouth, but for once, she couldn't say anything. It was as if every word of the English vocabulary had never even been taught to her. Now she knows how it feels to be Dipper.

"Umm- I- well... I'm sorry." Mabel huffed and slid her hand into her face in embarrassment.

"Hey," Ford said. Mabel lifted her head to see Ford staring at her with empathetic eyes. "It's okay. Let's start out with our names. I'm Stanford."

"I know." Mabel said.

"And what's your name?"

Mabel's heart began pumping. She didn't understand why she was so nervous. It wasn't this bad when she told Stan, and then she had more to lose. Perhaps it's because she has come this close, and she doesn't want to lose it all.

"I'm Mabel." She was able to finally say through a crackling voice.

"Mabel?" A voice echoed from behind her. The voice almost seemed unrecognizable but it had a familiar tone. Mabel and Stan turned their bodies to face a small figure covered in white specks of snow. His mouth was buried into his coat. He was carrying a plastic bag in which dropped to the floor as the contents spilled out of it, including a hat with a pine tree printed on the front.

Mabel stood up as the two stared at one another in shock. "Dipper?" He pulled down the coat to reveal the rest of his face, and sure enough, it was the face she remembered.

A large smile overcame her face as she ran towards him. Stan and Ford shared a curious and surprised glance before turning their attention back to the kids.

Mabel wrapped her arms around her brother as he did the same. The snow on Dipper's coat melted on contact to Mabel's face but she didn't care. Mabel let go to wipe off some tears that were gathering at the edges of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry." She cried. "I-"

"Mabel," Dipper cut her off as he took his coat off of his body. "It's okay. It's okay. How'd you get here?"

Mabel smiled and pointed at Stan who looked at the kids with a puzzled expression. "Look who I found."

"Grunkle Stan?" Dipper awed as he gawked at the man in front of him. His face was beaten and he looked as if he'd been living underneath a dumpster all his life, but Dipper saw through these flaws and only recognized the old man he'd remembered. Dipper ran to him and gave him a hug without hesitation. Surprised, Stan tensed to his unfamiliar touch, which Dipper picked up on.

"Kids," Ford said. "Why don't you-uh- catch up in the other room. I have something to discuss with Stanley.

"Come on." Dipper said as he walked towards the kitchen. Mabel gracefully followed as Dipper lead her through the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Woah." Mabel gawked as they reached the attic. "It looks almost the same to when it did in our time."

Dipper closed the door behind him. "I know, I kept thinking I was home, but..."

The two fell silent as they sat down on the edge of the mattress in the corner of the room.

"Stan. You've told him?" Dipper asked.

"Everything that I know, yeah." Mabel looked to the dust covered ground. The room was unused, and vacant. She wasn't used to this feeling. A feeling of emptiness longed in the pit of her stomach, even though her brother stood in front of her. It all felt surreal. Shouldn't she feel completed now that she's found a missing piece? "What happened? Where'd you end up?"

"Here." Dipper answered. "I found myself lost in the woods and almost froze to death, but that's when I found the shack." Dipper stared at the floor before looking back up to Mabel. She pulled her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear when Dipper noticed a large scar across her cheek. He stared, shocked as he wondered how he hadn't seen it when he first saw her. The bruises and scars were everywhere! Perhaps he was too overjoyed to notice her injuries.

"Mabel, oh my gosh, how'd u get all beat up?"

"Oh, yeah." Mabel gently touched the scars as she barely remembered they were there. "It's... it's nothing. We just got in a small accident on the way up here."

The room fell silent.

Dipper finally found to courage to finally take a good look at his sister. She sat in rags with messy hair and ragged clothes. And let's not forget the injuries she's sustained. She looked like she's been through more than he'd wished. All this time, he thought he was the only one in trouble. He thought she was home; safe. But she was here all along. He'd done this to her.

"Mabel," Dipper interrupted the silence. "It's been a while for me, but I couldn't stop thinking about the last things I said to you. I'm real sorry. I didn't mean any of it."

Mabel stared with watering puppy eyes before looking away. She had thought she didn't care about that fight anymore. As long as she got to see him again, but now that he brought it up, she couldn't help but feel what she had felt then. Hurt. She didn't want him to see her cry. She was supposed to be happy, but to her, the memory was recent and still fresh.

"I don't know what else to say. I was being a real jerk. No excuses."

Mabel left Dipper to his words with no response. He waited for her to say something as he wondered if an apology was enough to fix what he had said. After all, even his own words hurt him.

"It's okay, Dipper." Mabel finally said through a small sniffle. She looked up at her brother to show tears pouring down her scarred cheeks. Dipper couldn't tell whether her tears were of sadness or happiness, but they were there, and they wrenched at his heart in what felt like even more guilt. Good or bad, he made her cry. "I can't say I'm any better." She smiled. "We can be pretty crummy at times, can't we?"

Dipper smiled in a response. "We have our moments." He held out his fist to Mabel. "So what do you say; Mystery Twins?"

Mabel stared at his fist for a long second before holding out her arms and wrapping them around Dipper in a tight hug. "Mystery Twins."


	14. Chapter 14

Dipper tiredly walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen to find Ford standing at the sink. He stood rinsing some dishes with steaming hot water before turning the faucet off.

"How's your sister?" Ford quietly asked as placed some cups in the sink and turned to face Dipper. His hallow eyes, that seemed to struggle to stay open, delayed in meeting Dipper's stare. He seemed strained of energy, which wasn't surprising since that seemed to be his natural state these days.

"Good, I think." Dipper replied. He approached the sink where Ford stood and peeked inside the sink to see what all was dirty. "She just got in the shower. I gave her some of the clothes you let me use, if you don't mind."

Ford simply nodded his head in response.

"What about Stan?" Dipper continued. "Where is he?"

"He took a step outside." Ford sighed before resting his side on the edge of the countertop. "Dipper, how do you feel about this?" He slowly asked.

"About what?"

"You're sister and my brother showing up out of the blue. Aren't you the least bit concerned?"

Confused with Ford's statement, Dipper only stared with the most hardened look he could configure. "Did you expect me to? I mean, I haven't seen Mabel since..."

"I know. I understand that, but you can't let that blind you. What if Bill has gotten to them?"

"Bill?'

"Think about it, Boy." Ford persuasively said as he almost jumped from his spot. "How could a time machine take two people into two different places and times at once? It just doesn't add up when you put it all together."

"Great uncle Ford," Dipper sighed as he put his palm to his head. "I can't think about that right now."

"All I'm saying is to stay alert." Ford warned. "I know I haven't been myself lately, and this damned demon isn't making things any easier for me," he said with a twitch, "but you trust my instincts, don't you?"

"Ford, I trust you. But... you're not okay." Dipper slowly said in an attempt to make his words sound as sincere as he could. "I mean, you're not sleeping or even eating. You're paranoid over who knows what." Dipper said with unease. He walked to the end of the hall and slipped a coat onto him before reaching for the porch door. "Please, Ford, take a nap," Dipper said before walking outside into the winter snow.

Dipper closed the door behind him as he stepped into a fresh pile of powdery snow. Thankfully the wind lessened, but that didn't stop the snow from coming down leaving the sky in an endless gleam of bright whiteness.

"Stan," Dipper noted as he saw Stan's figure standing before him; holding a cigarette as he looked out into the lawn.

Startled, Stan turned his head to Dipper. "Oh, hey... kid. Whatcha doin' out here?" He asked stiffly before putting the cigarette to his lips and taking a long huff of it.

"Ford mentioned you were out here. I thought I'd see what you're doing." Dipper answered as he waited for a queue to approach Stan. Dipper felt he seemed to be the only one Stan wasn't as comfortable to be around, which almost left a hole in Dipper's heart, but he understood. It was a new for him, but totally understandable considering Stan had only known him for a couple hours.

"Just needed some air and a smoke." Stan said as he took another heave of the cigarette and blew it out in a white cloud that matched the sky. The stench reached Dipper's nose in a matter of seconds as he held his breath in an attempt to avoid breathing it in.

"You shouldn't smoke." Dipper said as he approached to Stan's side. He tried his best to look casual as he stared into the white clouds of ice that littered the lawn, but inside, he could feel the strain of awkwardness. "It can cause cancer." He finished. Out of the corner of his eye, Dipper watched as Stan parted the cigarette from his lips for a hesitant moment before taking another hit.

"Yeah? What're you? My doctor?" He sarcastically remarked. A second passed of Dipper eyeing Stan's side in judgement when Stan let out a small giggle. "Funny." He said with a fragile yet sincere smile. "You sound just like your sister."

"Um, thanks?" Dipper said unsure whether that was a good or bad thing. "I think."

"Lemme ask u a question, kid." Stan threw the remaining end of the cigarette into the frosted lawn and leaned onto the porch post to face Dipper. "You and your sister are from the future," he clarified himself as Dipper nodded, "and apparently I'm gonna live here one day? In your time?"

"...Yes." Dipper hesitated. There was only so much he could tell, or he could even have enough courage to tell. One little slip-up could change the whole present.

"I've been thinking." Stan continued. "If this is my brother's house, then how did I end up with it. I- I didn't steal it from him or anything like that, did I?"

"I-uh," Dipper struggled to find the right words. "N-not like that- I don't think."

Stan shuffled to the wall of the shack and slid to his bottom. "I can tell when people lie, kid. It's my superpower."

Dipper dumbfoundedly stood as he watched Stan rub his hands into his forehead. "I wasn't lying. Not entirely." Dipper again approached Stan and sat down next to him. "It's a complicated story that I couldn't tell you if I wanted."

"So did I, or did I not?" He asked. "It's a simple question." Dipper stayed quiet, for he neither stole or was given the house. how could he explain that? "Ford was right about me." Stan uttered. "He still is. And personally, I think he always will be. He always is."

Dipper looked at Stan and saw in his eyes a realization he'd known all his life. He supposed he always thought of himself as a liar, and cheater, and while he is all of those things, he had proved himself to be so much more, Dipper thought. Dipper remembered those times his Grunckle Stan had shown himself to be a man that cares.

"You know," Dipper interrupted Stan's venting session. Stan was taken slightly aback as he hadn't expected Dipper to speak. He was so caught up in his moment of self pity, he had even forgotten he was even sitting next to him. "Ford is right about a lot of things. He knows more than any person I've ever known." Stan rolled his eyes wondering if this was supposed to make him feel better. "But if there's anything that Ford got wrong, it's you."

Stan stared at Dipper's small body as it lay cuddled against the shack. He hadn't expected words to come from someone he'd just met. But then again, he kept forgetting that Dipper already knows him personally. He was his great nephew, after all.

"I-uh..." Stan paused not sure whether he should believe Dipper's words. "I don't know, kid. I've- done stuff I'm not proud of. If you'd known the things I did, you probably wouldn't have said that."

"I know enough. You care, Stan. And you're not selfish." Dipper stood up from the porch and looked out into the lawn. The sky began to dim from a bright white to a grayish shade. It was getting late. "You should come inside. It's only gonna get colder."

"I've been through worse. I'll go in later."

Dipper stared at Stan's figure as he sat looking into the lawn as if Dipper had already went inside. "You didn't steal this house." Dipper bluntly yet sincerely said before turning towards the door and entering the house.

Mabel opened the bathroom door as a cold rush ran into the steam filled room, in which immediately chilled her exposed skin. Although the hot water burned her scars on contact, it sure was refreshing to finally smooth her long hair and wash the dirt gathering in her body.

She picked up her dirty clothes and walked out of the bathroom as she dried her hair with her towel. She was glad to finally be out of her week-worn clothes and into clean ones, but they had a dusty smell and were stiff as if they haven't been handled in years. Dipper wasn't kidding when he told her they were old.

She walked down the hall and began to climb the stairs when she heard Dipper call to her.

"Hey Mabel." She paused as he caught up to her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to our room. Duh." She laughed continuing up the stairs as Dipper looked up into the attic.

"Actually, my room is in the loft." Dipper answered. Mabel's smile slowly faded as she remembered that wasn't their room anymore.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." She said as she climbed down the stairs. "I keep having to do a double take on this place. Like, In the shower. I almost forgot I wasn't home." She somberly said.

"Come on," Dipper said as he made his way to the loft. Mabel followed behind him. "We'll sleep in my room for tonight, and we'll fix the attic up tomorrow. I mean, unless you want to sleep on a dusty mattress."

"I'm just glad to finally sleep in an actual bed. The back of Stan's car was starting to hurt my back." Mabel said as she dramatically stretched her back like Grunkle Stan would. Dipper let out a little laugh as he understood her joke.

"That truck did look small." Dipper noted.

"Oh no, We were only in that one for a few hours." Mabel corrected him. "I'm talking about Stan's El Diablo."

"Well, what happened to it? Since it's not here. It'd be cool to see how it looked back in his time."

"It looked surprisingly worse." Mabel looked down in a moment of silence. "Besides, we kinda crashed the car into a pond. That's where I got all of these scrapes on my arms." She pulled up her sleeve to reveal scabbed cut marks painted from her wrists to her elbows.

"Oh my god." Dipper gasped as he stopped to look at the wounds. He grabbed her wrist and gently placed his finger on one of the cuts. "Mabel, what the heck? Does it still hurt?"

"Only when you touch them, you doofus," she winced as she swatted his hands away from her wounds. "You guys don't happen to have a first aid kit by any chance, do you? Some itch cream would sure make the healing process for these babies easier." Mabel smiled.

"Yeah. I'll get if for you later."

When they reached the room, Dipper opened the door and allowed Mabel to go in.

"Wow," She gawked. "Looks almost identical from how we found it. Except for the bed."

"Yeah, I know. Remember how we fought over this room?"

"Speaking of that, is this the mind-switchy thing-a-mobober?" Mabel gasped pointing to the green carpet. "It's looks softer than I remember."

"Oh yeah. We might want to get that out of the way, though. We don't want to accidentally switch bodies again."

Mabel laughed and crawled into the bed. She lay down like a starfish and squirmed around until she absorbed the comfort of the bed. Throwing the comforter over her body, she squeezed into a little cacoon.

"You're not gonna eat dinner?" Dipper asked as he rolled the carpet up and placed it at the end of the room. "It's only 7."

"I'm... I'm tired." Mabel said as she cuddled with the pillow her head lay on. "And really comfortable." She added with a smile.

"Lucky for you, there's not really anything to eat anyway." Dipper scoffed as he headed for the door and opened it.

"Wait." Mabel stopped Dipper. He halted at the door as he waited for her to speak. "Can you stay until I fall asleep. This room kinda creeps me out. "

"Sure." Dipper said as he sat down on the edge of the bed and layed down. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm scared, Dipper." Mabel expressed. "What if we don't find a way back home? We'll be stuck here forever."

"We'll find a way back. We have to."

"And if we don't?"

"Come on, Mabel." Dipper assured. "Don't be like that. I'm supposed to be the one that worries."

"I know. I just miss everyone." Dipper closed his eyes as Mabel preached his thoughts. "I miss Mom and Dad; and Waddles; and Soos and Wendy." Mabel began to ramble. "I miss the Grunkle Stan that remembers the time we spent together. Like that time we went fishing, and that time we killed all of those zombies by singing karaoke together." Her words slowly began to slur into comprehensible mumbles before she slipped into a very needed slumber.

Dipper carefully stood up from the bed making sure not to wake Mabel. He looked at her from the foot of the bed noticing the peacefulness in her sleep. Dipper felt a little comfort knowing he was able to see her peaceful slumber again. Just this morning, he thought he'd never see _her_ again. "Goodnight, Mabel." He said before turning the lights off and closing the door behind him.

Dipper stood at the door for a moment before making his way to the bathroom to clean up. Mabel had a point that Dipper couldn't shake from his mind. Now that she's here, he has an even bigger drive to get back home. He tried to be optimistic for once, since Mabel didn't have the energy to do so, but even he couldn't fool himself. He had no idea how to get back home. And that was the only thing stopping them. Or so he thought.

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 **I know I just popped out of nowhere after a few months of not posting, but I'm back. I wont be regular like I used to be but I promise, I will finish this story. Just hang in there everybody! The reason for my absence is my laziness, and considering I'm not into Gravity Falls anymore like I was when I first started this Fanfic, I'm going to take my time to create these chapters. I don't want the quality of the story to decrease because I don't feel like writing it.**

 **Also, please, if you ever feel like my story is beginning to lose its spark, tell me. Leave a review telling me what you liked and didn't like, or how you feel about the direction the story is heading. All of this helps me more than you'd think; with inspiration and creativity.**

 **Thank you all for your support on this story and I'll see you soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! As I said, I'm not gonna abandon this story, so here I am.** **I hope you guys like this chapter. Leave a review and tell me what you think. I'm more than happy to be updating for you guys but it does take encouragement, so thank you everyone for getting me this far. I literally wouldn't be updating if it weren't for you lovely people that have been supporting me throughout the story.**

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All he could do was think. The house remained unusually quiet considering the surplus of people in it. Dipper had been off doing who knows what, and his sister, Mabel, probably sticking by his side. To fords gratitude they stayed quiet. Stan, well, let's just say the two have been intentionally avoiding each others presence ever since he'd arrived, so he hadn't been seeing much of him. Not like that was any change. If anything, it was more unusual to see him.

His dimly lit room encased him into an atmosphere of his own world. He looked around his room- papers and outdated electronics littering any available space. The more he looked around, the more he came to realize just how much he had let himself loose. If looked back at only five years ago, Ford seemed like the man that could have made a difference and had a bright future ahead of him. Instead, here he is; rotting in his own stench as his mind brings him closer to the verge of insanity. If it weren't for Dipper, who knows where he'd be right now.

He used to like the sound of silence. As a kid, it was all he could wish for. His hometown wasn't a loud city. If anything, the waves crashing on the beach were louder than the town was ever able to be. But that didn't stop his family from being the loudest in the apartment complex. His mom would constantly be yelling her accented gibberish through the landline, Stan was always breaking things, and then there was his pa with his never ending demands that never seemed to be met. Over time, Ford had learned to work through the noise, but it was still nice to have some peace and quiet. It helped him think.

Now it felt completely different. He didn't like it one bit. In fact, the silence seemed to be making it worse. But he couldn't seem to keep away from it. If only he could get away from his thoughts and get some rest, but his standards were placed way to high.

However, Dipper's words weren't completely thrown out of question. No one wanted rest more than him, but something about sleep made his skin crawl; as if things would get worse if he does. It was a good thing his work gave him a reason to stay up. Otherwise, he would've had no other excuse to be awake. Still, he let himself nod off every now and then, for it was better rest than nothing.

Just as Ford rested his head on his hand and closed his eyes for what he hoped wasn't for too long, a light knock caught his attention. He opened his eyes and straitened his back as a more clear knock repeated.

"Ya in there, Ford?" Stan's voice almost hummed through the walls. It had a somewhat calming tone, but that didn't fool the roughness in it.

"Come in." Ford said as he rubbed his eyes with the tips of his fingertips hoping it would temporarily kill his sleepiness. Boy did he really need some stronger coffee.

Stan slowly opened the door until he met eyes with Ford. "We didn't finish talking yesterday. Figured we could do it now." He said. Stan made his way to a nearby wall and made himself comfortable as he leaned into it. The swelling in his face had gone down from the last time he saw him, but that didn't account for much. Stan looked just as beaten as Ford was deprived, and Ford couldn't help but feel pity for him. In fact, Ford wasn't surprised to see him show up at his doorstep looking like a grape. It brought back a sort of nostalgia of when he used get in fights daily.

He could still remember how he'd be nose deep into a book by the time Stan would get home with a bloody nose or missing tooth. Usually, he'd strut into their room with someone else's hair or teeth to show to his brother as a trophy. Ford could have mistaken this image for the ones in his memories, but back then, his victories were praised with his own toothy grinned smiles. This, on the other hand, didn't seem to be the case.

"I suppose we should." Ford agreed. Stan stared at Ford with expectant eyes. One was almost swollen shut but it still held emotion. Ford looked away, for he didn't know where to start after where they had left off the previous day. Their conversation became too heated too quickly, and out of concern of the kids being able to hear them, Stan took a step outside hoping to cool off while Ford took to some coffee for comfort.

"You don't have to keep me here," Stan said. His voice contradicted his pissy yet calm demeanor. It seemed almost sad as if he knew what Ford had already decided, "but if it's really what you want, I'll leave. Like I said, I'm only here because of Mabel. And I only want to stay to make sure she's safe."

Ford could feel the bitterness in his last sentence; as if he wanted nothing to do with Ford. And for a spit second, Ford took it to heart. But ever since he was a schoolboy, he learned to ignore and never took what anybody said to heart. So he shook off Stan's bitterness and added it to his own. But as Stan continued, he seemed to become more concerned if anything.

"If you're really gonna kick me to the curb, I've at least gotta know that I'm leaving her somewhere she'll be safe. The boy too."

"Are you doubting my ability to care for these children?"

"The way you're going right now, definitely." Stan said too confidently. Ford frowned upon his response, but he couldn't argue with him there. He was sure that he wouldn't even recognize himself if he looked at himself through a mirror. It was a good thing he didn't keep mirrors around the house or else he would have scared himself half to death if he'd caught a glimpse. "But that's not the point. All I'm asking is that you promise that Mabel will be safe."

"Of course she was!" Was Ford's immediate thought. Who was he to lead her into danger? But strangely enough, he couldn't say what had popped into his head. It was as if he were trying to speak, but no voice came out. It felt as if his voice was paralyzed. His brain told his mouth to open, but nothing responded. Ford averted his eyes. Everything in his own mind told him that they'd be as safe as it gets, but the little doubt he had overruled his confidence in being able to keep that promise. "No one is safe, Stanley." He finally was able to utter.

Stan heaved an immediate sigh and took a seat next to Ford. Ford uncomfortably watched as Stan did so. "Funny." Ford thought to himself. "How did we end up here? Me being uncomfortable with my own brother's presence?" Young him would never have guessed that by the time he hits age 30, all ties with his best friend would be lost.

"I'll be honest with you, Sixer. The girl has been in more danger than I'm willin' ta admit under my care." He said in a dissapointed grunt. Stan looked to the ground as if he were confessing to himself rather than Ford. "Where'd you think we got all of our bruises from?" He pointed to a rather particular bruise on the right side of his face so Ford could see. As expected, it was swollen and gushing pus at the seams as an indication that his wounds weren't cleaned properly.

Ford's stare hardened. "That scar on the girl's face- you didn't do that to her, did you?"

"Jesus Christ, no! Why would'ya ever say anything like that?" Stan immediately shot back on Ford's accusation. "What the hell, Ford?" Stan's reaction calmed ford immediately, for Stan seemed disgusted by what he had implicated, but he still felt shame for even thinking such a thing.

"No, I know. Forget what I just said. I'm just not thinking straight." Ford justified himself with little success. He was usually quite good at keeping his thoughts private, which came in handy when dealing with arguments. To be fair, the oppposing side always won, but at least he didn't look like a complete idiot trying to prove his point.

Stan adjusted himself before speaking again. "Like I was sayin, we've found ourselves in some pretty dangerous situations comin up here. Like, being ganged up by a bunch of thugs, runnin away from the cops, and runnin my car into a pond." Stan listed casually. Ford cringed mentally as Stan listed his experiences with the girl; almost as if he could see all of it happening in front of him dispite the small amounts of detail given. "but even through all of that," he continued, "I did all I could to keep her safe. With that girl, I guess you can say that went both ways."

"Both ways?" Ford scrunched his nose. What could a little girl possibly do to keep a grown man safe? With the life Ford assumed Stan lived, he was positive she needed the protecting.

Stan laughed in a small giggle before he could realize he was still hurt. He grunted in pain and held his hand to his stomach where it hurt the most. "Yeah, the kid's got a couple tricks up her sleeve. Literally." Stan stated; referring to Mabel's grappling hook. Her sweater seemed to house the most useful items a crook like him would need to survive on the streets, for it has saved them more times than he was willing to admit. But he couldn't give the object all the credit, of course, when the wielder was the true life saver. Stan's stare altered to a very lighthearted smile as he recalled Mabel's courage. "I just want her to be safe."

"I see."

"Do you?" Stan asked as he stood from his seat. His demeanor changed rapidly from aquatience to interrogator as he begun to hover over Ford's sitting body. "Promise me, Poindexter. Give me the relief of knowing that you'll do anything to keep them away from danger. At least better than me. And get them home." It felt belittling to see Stan controlling the conversation, and Ford didn't like it.

Ford stood up and met eye level with his brother. He stared into his mirrored eyes. They were identical, after all. Ford could tell Stan's words were sincere- he could see it in his eyes- but they challenged his ability to keep his family safe. What kind of man in his right mind would neglect such a responsibility? While he may have had good reasons to be concerned it still came by as offensive. So Ford buffed up his chest in the most intimidating way he could and spoke.

"If these kids are who they really say they are, I wouldn't think twice to protect them."

"And you think they are who they say they are?"

"Absolutely." Ford responded. "Don't you?"

"I do," Stan paused. He looked around the room with curious eyes. Not much caught his eye; the house was just as bland as a the color brown. Ford's room was no improvement. "I'll be outta your hair by tomorrow night." Stan said as he backed away and began inching towards the door. "Oh, and I'm gonna need a pair of scissors. This mullets making me wanna tear my roots out." With his last words, Stan left the room leaving Ford in his own world of silence. Again.

* * *

"So, you've taken up the fatherly role of two children now?" An all too familiar voice rang in Ford's conscience. "Just when I thought you'd fall apart with one bratty 9- year old, another bratty 9-year old just pops into your life. How're you gonna do it Fordsy?" The voice mocked.

"Oh no." Ford thought as he was finally able to open his eyes. He hoped he was just imagining the voice. He hoped he was gonna open his eyes and find himself nodding off at his work desk or his room, but just as his eyelids creased, he knew his wishes had been denied. He had woken in the blurred world of the Mindscape. Ford looked around him, but only found what almost looked like his study. Everything was darker than usual. There was no color and different shades of grey brought gloom to his surroundings. It was like those vintage horror movies his father had used to watch when he was a child. They were so cheesy, yet they scared the hell out of him.

"I'm asleep?" He said confused; still trying to grab ahold of his surroundings. "How did I-"

"Yeah." Bill laughed. His laughter hadn't changed since the last time he heard it. Maniacal. Deceptive. Everything he hated about it. "Looks like coffee can only do so much for you."

Ford searched frantically for the demon; making sure he didn't have the upper hand. "Where are you?" Ford demanded. If there was anything he knew about Bill, it was to never submit to his words, even if that meant something as little as showing one hint of weakness. Of course, before Ford figured out his true intentions, he'd never had to worry about dominance, but he did notice the signs.

"I'm... quite busy at the moment, actually." His voice let out a suspicious snicker that Ford didn't dare to decode. "But that doesn't stop me from visiting my favorite person. Who's my favorite person?" He said in a mocking tone; treating Ford as if he were a lost puppy.

Ford's eyes furrowed in his embarrassment. Thats was his trick. He degrades his victims to his own amusement until they can no longer speak for themselves. Needless to say, Ford wasn't amused.

"I've gotta say, pal. Your Mindscape has gotten a lot... darker since the last time I've been here. It's not like I don't like the new remodeling; because I honestly love it, but sheesh."

"Don't act innocent, Cipher!" Ford warned. "If my subconscious is still awake then you must want something."

A moment passed of complete silence. It was a slow time-passing period as a thought dawned into Ford. Mouth agape, he glanced towards his hands and studied the unreal features of his mental form. His fingers were traced with a white glow that expressed the reality of his situation. His own body was in his mind, and if his mental form wasn't controlling his body, then who was? "No." He merely whispered at first. "No. How- how could I have been so blind?" Eyes wide, Ford put his hands to his head.

"You know, Stanford Pines. You are the smartest, yet the most stupid person whom I've ever met." The most condescending voice spoke to Ford, in which he could barely comprehend through his periodic breakdown.

"Get out of my body, you bastard! You don't belong there!" Ford demanded with the stomp of his foot. He felt like a child. There was nothing he could do; no one he could attack. All he could to was yell; sounding just as immature as a child, and just like Bill wanted.

"But Ford," he innocently asked, "weren't you the one who gave me permission to your body in the first place?"

"I said our deals were off!" Ford recalled the last time he had spoken to Bill. "This was a part of it."

"Oh it was. I just found my way around it. You see. This wasn't a deal; I was simply just giving you a hand helping around your work. I mean, I'm kinda surprised you didn't figure it out sooner, but I guess we're both dissapointed."

Everything inside him screamed to wake up. To stop Bill, but nothing seemed to be working. As Bill spoke, Ford could only imagine how long he had been doing this to him. It hurt to imagine what he could have done to Dipper, and how long he could have been doing it. "Please tell me you haven't hurt the boy." Ford pleaded. The weakness was showing, but he didn't care. The cautious thought seemed to fly past him as he desperately waited for an answer.

"Oh please." Bill rebuffed his accusation with a scoff of his voice. "I have better things to do than to mess with that brat." Ford closed his eyes in a form of relief knowing that he hadn't been unknowingly going against Stan's promise. "I've been watching closely, yes- " he continued," that's what I do. But the funny thing is," he continued," is that I can recall everything that I've done to those kids' in their time. That means, I know everything they know, and I know how this is gonna end."

Something about his words made Ford's stomach wrench. He felt fear inside, and he did everything that he could to not show it. The thing about fear, is that it is easily manipulated to fit the deed. Once shown, that's it. The alpha takes it and plays with its strings into the way they see fit. Ford couldn't let this happen to him.

"I say this as a warning, Sixer. If you or those kids or anybody else decides they wanna cross me, I won't hesitate to hurt one of them. I know how all of this ends and it won't be pretty. So, if you love your family so much, I'd keep 'em all in check. Including you!" His voice lowered with his last phrase. For something that could be so low it sounded incredibly loud. "Anyway, just wanted to have a spat with ya since it's been a while. I think I'm done here for now, so feel free to take your body back. I mean, it's not like there's much to go back to, anyway."

Ford immediately took this chance to wake up and gain consciousness again. Every second he spent out of his own mind gave Bill the upper hand. And now he knew why sleep seemed to haunt him.

As his eyes began to open, and found hisself sprawled against the concrete floor in his bunker beneath the house, he swore he heard the faint reminiscence of Bill's lingering voice.

"See you **very** soon, Pal."


	16. Chapter 16

"Dipper. Hey, Dipper. Wake up." a small voice whispered into Dipper's ear. He squirmed a bit before stubbornly opening his eyes. The brightness took him by surprise, for it lit the attic to its darkest corner, but even that wasn't able to shake his drowsiness. Dipper groaned before turning to the other side of his bed as a signal to leave him be. "Come on, Dip." Mabel continued to pester her brother's sleep. "I'm bored." she fell limp onto the the edge of his bed and dramatically fell to the floor.

"Leave me alone." he dismissed Mabel's pleas with another grunt. Dipper secretly slipped in a smile as Mabel tugged on his shirt to get out of bed. It was a habit she'd been doing ever since they were little, but going almost a month without it made him realize just how much he'd missed her morning wake-up fits. It was, in a way, a homely nostalgia.

"Come on. Don't you know what time it is?" Mabel jumped on Dipper's resting body just like a puppy waking its owner with a slap to the face.

"I don't care."

"It's wake up time." Mabel rose her voice with the deepest tone she could muster and yanked Dipper's covers from underneath him. Although he clung onto the blanket, Mabel wasn't a force to be reckoned with and she ultimately won. A desperate longing for his warm blanket grew as a cold shiver crawled up his spine and the skin-nipping temperature chilled him to the bone.

"Oh come on!" Dipper whined at his defeat. "Let me sleep. Do you know how much energy I used to get this room situated last night?"

"Oh please." Mabel scoffed. "Stan did most of the work, Macho Libre."

"Whatever." Dipper arose from his bed. She wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean he didn't do any of the work. Sure, Stan carried the mattress up the stairs and into the room, but he still lugged it around the floor into the way their rooms were arranged in the present.

"So what do you wanna do?"

Dipper reached to a tiny night stand that housed his hat for the night and slipped it atop his wavy locks. "Oh," he gasped. "I have a say?" Dipper's voice came by as sarcastic as he had intended, but it flew over Mabel's head.

"Well, it stopped snowing.. Maybe we could play in the snow." she suggested; recalling the small conversation she had with stan before they'd arrived. "I can't remember the last time we were able to do that. This could be our chance."

Dipper had just finished tying his shoelaces by yanking the strings tight for extra closure of a shoe that was sure to stay put. "Sounds like a great idea!" a grin plastered his face for a moment in which Mabel felt she was going to finally be able to enjoy the snow, but her joy was long lived, for he released his smile into a straight face. "Except, I don't wanna."

"What?" Mabel shouted. "Why not? It's snow!"

Dipper walked to the door with heavy steps that seemed to drag the closer he got to the exit. It's not like that wasn't normal. The only thing that could get him out of bed in the morning with an attitude like his sister was new addition of whatever nerd game was coming out that week, or 80's music that was blaring through the radio.

"Trust me. After spending a month in a cabin trapped in nothing but snow, I want nothing to do with it."

Mabel pouted her lips and stared longingly at her brother. "Please." she pleaded.

"You don't even have winter clothes on. What happened to the clothes I gave you?"

Mabel shrugged looking down at her attire. She had prepared herself for the day with her pink sweater and her trusty skirt. "Ford washed these for me. I don't know about you, but I would wear my sweater over old man clothes anytime. Besides, my grappling hook doesn't fit in the ones you gave me.

"At least put some pants on. You're gonna freeze."

"Not if I don't go outside, so PLEASE!" Ever since Dipper stopped giving in so easily, Mabel has had to try extra hard when pleading something out of him. This meant constant prying and begging, but Mabel didn't have the stamina to even begin. So she layed off when he shook his head 'no'. "Geez.." Mabel placed her arms over her chest. It was almost as if he stopped having fun since the day the government agents showed up knocking at their door. That was the last time she actually saw him laugh. Memories of Dipper and herself throwing plump water balloons at one another as they ate the most delicious popsicle sticks was the last fond memory she had of the mystery shack. It all felt so long ago. "See, this is what happens when I'm gone. You forget how to have fun."

Dipper responded to Mabel's comment with a casual roll of his eyes. "Come on, let's go make ourselves something for breakfast,." he exited the room leaving the door open for Mabel to follow.

"You know what I've been craving for a while?" Mabel trailed right behind her twin down the creaky wooden stairs. "Overly Sensitive Owls with coke." she smiled with drool forming at the ends of her lips. "Don't suppose you guys have that lying around the house?"

"Hardly, all we have are microwavable foods. Apparently instant foods are the new crave this century."

"I mean, I guess that's okay. Better than nothing, I guess."

The twins walked into the kitchen; Dipper heading towards the fridge while Mabel immediately ran towards the table. Dipper opened the fridge door expecting to find something to eat, but was in some ways shocked to find a pointy-headed gnome staring back at him as it disgustingly rummaged through the little food they had. "Ew." Dipper expressed with a grimace before slamming the door shut.

"Well, looks like we're out of food… again." he walked to sit across from Mabel. "Ford's probably gonna send one of us out to get some more."

"Not it!" The two yelled in harmony.

"Ha! Zing!." Mabel cheered. "I said it first.

"Aw man."

A small moment of silence ensued before Dipper spoke.. "Hey, Mabel." he paused turning to face his sister. "How long have you been here? Like, since our fight."

Mabel lost contact with her brother's stare as he brought their fight into her memory. She didn't like to think about it, and what it had done to her, but here she was. "Um, a week or two- I think." saying it out loud, it didn't seem like that long, but so much happened in those weeks, it felt like a whole year! It' was hard for her to imagine that Dipper had been there longer. "Why?" she asked.

"I've just been thinking." he expressed. "I've been here for longer than I'd hoped, and...I don't know how much longer I can stand being here, Mabel. Sure, it's better now that you're here, but... I miss home. I don't want to admit it, but I'm pretty sure I've been lying to myself for a while that we're gonna find a way to get back"

"Dipper…" Mabel comforted as she reached to put a hand on his shoulder. His expression broke with a mix of sadness and hopelessness, and she swore she could see an eye swell, but she couldn't decide if she was imagining it or not.

Dipper rarely cries around other people, Mabel being an exception since she knows him too well, but she could tell he was trying to be the strong one. This being the case, it was no surprise that he avoided it.

"I've been looking everywhere for something that could help for weeks, but I've found nothing. And I thought being optimistic would help, but I'm too realistic to let it affect me. "

Mabel listened as Dipper voiced his concerns, which related to Mabel's feelings just as much.

"Great Uncle Ford said that he doesn't even know where to start. We're screwed."

Mabel's eyes widened at Dipper's words. A lead. They were missing the lead. She picked her head up and grabbed firmly onto his shoulders before letting out a roar of a laugh in epiphany. Dipper waited; bewildered as his sister shook him in a fit of joy- causing his hat to loosen its grip on his head and fall. "Dipper!" she beamed. "I have the measure tape!"


	17. Chapter 17

In rapid steps and swift movements, Dipper approached the hall and down the stairs that led to the basement. Originally located in the gift shop, Dipper found it unusual that there was a gaping opening in the wall that he never knew exsisted. He might have gotten used to it during the month he was there, but Ford didn't let him near the basement, dispite Dipper already knowing what was down there.

But this, Dipper thought, was an exception, for in his hands was the machine that Dipper had been longing for ever since Ford told him of their fork in the road.

It was dark, but Dipper was aware to bring a small flashlight; just bright enough to get around. He would have had Mabel come with him, but knowing Ford didn't want even him down there, he suggested she stay behind. She complied through a few huffs of dissapointment, but still, the thought of letting Dipper do all the work was undeniably boring.

He held the time measure close to his chest as he approached the elevator that led to the basement. The grip he had on the device was incredibly tight but that was mostly because the whole thing was hanging together by a single screw. He didn't know how she did it, but by the looks of it, Mabel completely destroyed the time machine beyond recognition. It just looked like a scrap of metal with jumbled peices of wire and the occasional spark of blue light.

Dipper reached for the 3rd floor button, remembering the number 3 shine on the sign that night he, his sister, and Soos had found out about the secret hall. The sign showing which level the elevator was currently on, it took Dipper a moment before realizing the elevator wasn't parked in the 3rd level. Instead, the sign showed it was stationed on the 2nd floor. Dipper slanted his head in confusion. He never even thought about the 2nd floor. If the 3rd level held the portal, and the first floor was which he was on, what was the second one?

Before he could stop himself, Dipper found himself pressing the button to the second floor. As he waited for the elevator to begin making its way up, a small voice in the back of Dipper's head reminded him how much trouble he could get in; to just go back upstairs and wait for Ford to finish whatever he was doing. But curiosity became over the young boy and he carried on into the elevator once the doors opened with a ding. Besides, Ford was obviously down there and the matter was urgent.

Dipper looked the small box that encased him up and down and all around. It seemed more well kept than it did the last time he saw it, and thank god it didn't creak a concerning racket when he climbed on just like last time, but nonetheless, it was just as nightmarish as he remembered.

It wasn't long before the elevator came to a halt; almost taking Dipper's balance with it. Thankfully, Dipper was able to regain his balance just as the doors opened.

The doors opened to reveal a dark room with books and papers littering the floor and pillars with drapes and cloth covering them.

"So it's basically the same as the rest of the shack." Dipper thought as he entered the room. It was a good size, and if it weren't for the mess and lighting, it might have been a comfy area.

"Dipper!" Ford's voice boomed from across the room. Startled, Dipper looked up to see the gleam of Ford's glasses facing towards him. For a split second, he contemplated turning around and heading back up the elevator before Ford could say another word.

"Well." He thought. "I'm already here." So he stayed put.

"I thought I told you specifically to stay away from here. It's not safe." Ford dropped whatever he was holding and began stomping towards Dipper.

"I had to talk to you."

Ford reached Dipper before immediately grabing his shoulders and began leading him towards the elevator. "I'm sure it can wait."

"No, wait I-"

"I don't want to hear it." Ford refused just as they reached the elevator entrance. "You know you're not allowed down here."

Ford obviously wasn't going to listen, so as a last resort, Dipper pushed Ford's six fingered hands off of him and held the time measure up high. Actions have been known to mean more words than any sentence was ever able to be spoken, and once Ford saw the device he stopped in his tracks.

"What is that?" His eyebrows slanted. Dipper couldn't tell if he was sincerely asking or if he was disturbed by the damage.

"Ford." Dipper smiled like an idiot. "This is it. It's the time machine. Mabel had it this whole time!"

Ford curiously reached for the device and Dipper willingly plopped the lame excuse of a machine on his large palm; instantly a panel fell off and toppled to the floor. "It's what you asked for, wasn't it?" Dipper asked as he picked the panel from the floor and handed it to Ford. "You said if you had the time machine..."

"Dipper, this... this is hardly a machine." He said as he observed the broken pieces. "It's nothing more than a huge cluster of broken circuitry."

"You'll be able to fix it, right?"

There was a moment of silence from Ford as he took time to look to and from Dipper's expectant eyes and the torn to piece gadget. "I'll definitely have a look at it; see what I can do."

"So that's it?"

"Well, if I can get it working or not, this is a leap from where we first began." Informed Ford as he placed the panel Dipper had given him eairler with the rest of the package. "That's strange." He continued as he stared at the panel. On one of the sides lay a symbol that caught Ford's eye. It was in the shape of an hourglass. "I recognize this symbol."

"W- really?"

"Yes. In fact..." Ford trailed off as he paced deeper into the dark room. Dipper hesitated to follow, for he wasn't sure if Ford was welcoming him, but the awkwardness was enough for for Dipper to follow in pursuit.

He had almost tripped over stacks of books and outdated inventions out of the darkness of the room, but he was thankfully able to find a safe corner as he waited for Ford to find what he was looking for. It didn't take long, dispite the thousands of possessions in the room. Even Dipper couldn't keep something this messy.

"Aha!" Ford cheered in victory as he cradled a wooden box in his hand and shuffled to a small desk near Dipper. "I found this in the Gravity Falls Library not too long ago. I knew something was peculiar about it."

Ford opened the box like a treasure chest for Dipper to have a look. Inside was a small stack of papers and a photograph in black and white. Ford pulled out a note taped to the bottom of the lid and handed it to his nephew.

"This came along with it; although, I was never able to decipher the coding." Dipper took the note as Ford handed it to him and he analyzed the jumbled mix of random letters sprawled across the stiff paper. Ford was right; it all looked so foreign. Deciding to ditch the nonsense of a note, Dipper placed the paper down, reached in the box, and pulled the photo out; analyzing the people in it. "This is him." He pointed out a figure on the far corner. "The guy we got the time machine from. This is that Blarman guy!"

"Astonishing!" Ford gawked. "So you've met him?"

Dipper nodded.

"What all do you know of this man?"

"He's really awkward. And he also tried to destroy me and Mabel, but other than that he's pretty harmless." Dipper said in thought. "He holds almost no power if only barely at all, but... he worked for Time Baby."

"Time Baby?"

"Great uncle Ford, I don't really see how this is going to help us."

Ford frowned. "I suppose it doesn't. At the very least, this is one mystery I didn't have to solve myself. Thanks for the help, kiddo." Ford smiled gently as he rustled Dipper's hair, causing his hat to move position and almost fall from his head.

Dipper returned the smile with one of his own as he fixed his hat. These were the good moments he enjoyed with Ford. Considering Ford spent most of his time down there in the basement, they weren't able to bond over many things, although the wished he could have. This was the author of the journals, after all.

A side glance towards a dark corner of the room grabbed Dipper's attention. It was a large screen that showed a dim green light.

"What's that over there?" Dipper pointed.

Ford looked up to see what Dipper had pointed out and before Dipper could give his best guess, Ford was pushing him towards the exit.

"Okay, boy. Time for you to go back upstairs. I told you all I can do, and I'll inform you if I find anything."

"But- wait, Great Uncle Ford, I-"

Before Dipper knew it, and before he could say anything else, the doors to the elevator closed. Dipper was left in silence wondering what he did wrong as he was hoisted up to level 1. Was it something he said?

Dipper climbed off of the elevator once the doors opened at the 1st floor. Yes, he was a little dissapointed, but that was the closest thing he's had to an adventure with Ford; if you could call it an adventure; and it was fun for the little time it lasted. Dipper ascended the stairs with a small smile on his face. He couldn't help it.

Just as quick as he had gone down, Dipper almost ran past the living area and up the attic stairs. He wanted to tell Mabel of the news. It'd give her hope. It sure did for him; the second Mabel pulled it out of her sweater. As he reached the stairs he could hear faint talking through the closed door. Two voices which he could distinctively distinguish between Stan and Mabel. And on instinct, he began to creep quietly until he could finally put his ear to the door. He didn't know why he was being sneaky about his actions, and he hated to feel as though he was eavesdropping, but he carried on listening in on the conversation.

—

Two loops right, one loop left, a tuck and pull, then repeat. Mabel repeated these steps as she was in the process of knitting another sweater for her collection and to her current limited wardrobe.

She had been able to find a small cardboard box filled of yarn the night before, so ultimately, she decided she could make some more clothing for herself, because god forbid she'd wear those old people clothes on a daily basis. Even seeing Dipper in them gave her the chills. Yes, the colors of the yarn were dull and bland, unlike her usual style, but beggars can't be choosers. So she settled with a striped dark green and brown colored sweater.

Nearing one of the sleeves, Mabel heard a faint knock at the door. She looked up from her spot on her bed, surprised she didn't hear the footsteps on the way. The door slightly opened and Stan's eyes peeked through them. Mabel smiled as a welcoming gesture to come in.

"Hey, pumpkin." He said stepping into the room and exposing the rest of his body. He gently closed the door behind him before approaching Mabel's bed and plopping his aging bottom atop the mattress. "How's ya hanging in there?"

"As good as I can, Grunkle Stan." Mabel said affirmatively. She gave him a braces filled smile before momentarily turning her attention to the half-knit sweater on her lap.

"Say," Stan said scratching the stubble on his neck, "I didn't know you could knit." He took note of the sweater in front of her. The sweater had the same style as the one she was wearing, but with different colors, and it looked surprisingly well-made; as if she's been doing it for a long time.

"Uh-huh." She confirmed with a nod and held the sweater up to her body to show Stan. "I have more sweaters back home and they're all originals from yours truly, muah." She giggled with a small gesture.

"How's your cuts feel? They still hurt?"

"No, they're just itchy." Mabel assured. As she lightly slapped the scar on her cheek. It was an effective way to stop the itchiness without actually itching. It especially came in handy when mosquitos were involved. "But Dipper gave me something to help it. What about you? We have the first aid..." she suggested pointing to the small desk beside her bed. After all, his wounds hadn't been cleaned since the day he got them.

"Nah," Stan refused. "I'm doin' fine. Besides, I'm a Pines. And a Pines can handle anything. I don't need no bandages!" He laughed

"I'm a Pines, too!" Mabel beamed as she pulled up her sleeves and began pulling at the band-aids covering her cuts.

"Hey, kid. No. I was just emphasizing my point." Stan jumped in to stop her from tearing them off her skin. "You're an exception."

"Boo." Mabel blew a raspberry. "That's not fair."

"Not fair? Says the one with a grappling hook!"

Mabel giggled as Stan smiled a toothy grin. He loved it when he was able to make her smile. It wasn't hard, for she smiled at pretty much everything, but he felt good about himself when she did. Stan felt he finally did something right every time mabel showed him her braced grins; literally the only moments he has where he doesn't feel like he screwed up. Man, he was going to miss this. If only he didn't have to leave.

"Hey, I-uh," he hesitated as Mabel's smile faded into a curious expression. He REALLY didn't want to leave. There was nothing for him out there. His car; gone. Money; he lost it along with the car, including his moneymakers. But his family, It was all right here in this house. He'd only agreed to leave because he knew he'd only be stepping on Ford's toes. He didn't want to get in the way of the kids getting home. Besides, Ford promised. He knew they'd be safe. He knew she'd be safe. "I'm leaving."

"Okay." Mabel said nonchantly. "To, like, the store or something?"

"No..."

Mabel stopped knitting her sweater and looked at Stan as she realized what he meant. "Where're you going?"

"Away."

"What do you mean 'away'? Like, 'not coming back' away?"

Stan nodded

"What? You can't go!"

"Mabel, sweetie, I-"

"No! Why are you leaving? We just got here. you just got here! You just found Dipper. And Grunkle Ford. We're all here!" Her voice trembled and her face held a pained expression which nearly broke Stan's heart. This was going to be harder than he thought. "Aren't you happy?"

"Look, kid, I don't wanna go either, but I gotta."

"Why, then? Why do you have to go? Can't you stay?

"I'd love to, Mabel, but Ford don't want me around right now. So-"

"Grunkle Ford's kicking you out?" Mabel asked. Stan looked down to see Mabel's face in disbelief. Oh no, he should have worded it differently.

"N-no, it's not- it's not like that." He said in a stumble for words. "We just... I just... I'm sorry Mabel."

There was nothing left for him to say. He didn't want to throw Ford under the bus; dispite how much of a douche he'd been; but there was nothing he could say to butter the already burning pan. Mabel put her head down as Stan thought she was going to cry. But instead she said, "I don't want you to be alone again."

Stan was almost taken aback. Out of all of this she was thinking about him; about how he'd feel. She could have thought about herself, or her brother, but no. She thought about him.

"Mabel, I won't be alone." Stan scooted closer to Mabel and put both hands on her shoulders with an assuring squeeze. She looked up to face him. "Ya know why?"

Mabel wiped away a tear forming in her eye as she waited for Stan to answer.

"Cause I know that if everything plays out right, I'll get to see you again. That's what you said, right? In the future?"

Mabel nodded.

"Well there ya go. See? Everything's gonna fine. Don't worry about me. All that's important is that you and your brother get home safe. Ya hear?"

Mabel nodded again.

"Good." Stan said standing up from the bed. "Tell your brother for me, will ya? I was kinda hoping he'd be here with you, and I don't have the energy to do it again."

"You're not leaving right now, are you?"

"Not until later on tonight. Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be sure to give you guys a proper goodbye."

He waved Mabel bye and opened the door to leave, but he was stopped when he found Dipper staring up at him from the other side. The boy stood back a bit startled; giving Stan a stare of frustration, but Stan could clearly see the glare wasn't meant for him.

Without a word, Dipper turned around and sprang down the stairs away from sight.

"Hey, kid. Wait!" Stan tried to call after him, but he was already gone. "Great."

—

A loud ding flooded through the room as the elevator opened its doors; this time on the 3rd level. Out of the doors came Dipper with clenched fists.

"Dipper?" Ford sounded surprised. He sat at his desk where the time measure sat. The skeleton of the portal could be seen clearly ouside the glass windows of the observation room. The portal seemed aboandoned, but it was clearly still functional. Without the proper handling, it could easily become dangerous. Ford wasn't wrong about that. "How many times are you going to-" he sighed. "You know what? Nevermind. I was actually going to call for you. I was able to take a small look, and by the looks of it, the time machine seems fixable. The machine itself is completely destroyed but there is still some sort of futuristic technological essence that allows the actual time transportation to occur inside the core. As long as-"

"Really, Ford?" Dipper interrupted. Ford kicking Stan to the curb was the last thing they needed, and after all this time, Dipper had thought that Ford would be willing to forgive. His stubbornness was too much for Dipper to handle. Stan had been through enough as it was, but Ford's selfishness was driving him back out. This may have been his idol, but that ddn't stop him from trying to talk sense into him.

"Dipper, my boy, is something the matter?" Ford seemed completely unaware.

"Why would you do that to Stan. He just got here."

Ford took to the realization of what this was about as he heaved a sigh and placed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Dipper, listen. I just want what's best for you and that's getting you and your sister back home. Nothing else should matter. Including this. "

"No, this does matter." Dipper argued. "You said you forgave him. So why are you making him leave?"

"Dipper, this isn't any of your business. I understand you must be angry, but Stan and I talked and we both agreed that him leaving would be best. This isn't about the past. I assure you." Ford said. It was about the kids, and it always was... wasn't it?

Dipper couldn't look at Ford, but he also didn't have anything to say back. His answers weren't good reasons, but Dipper couldn't argue against them.

"I'm sure you know my intentions are for the likelyhood of you and your sister. So every decision made is for you two."

"But... does Stan really have to leave?"

Ford opened his mouth expecting words to come out, but he only groaned. A sharp pain suddenly struck the right side of his face, and it hurt as if someone had knocked him across the head with a bat.

"Grunkle Ford? Are you okay?" Dipper said; watching Ford sway as if he was having trouble keeping his balance.

Ford blinked rapidly in response, for he could do nothing else. His body fell onto his desk; relying on the desk for support as he waited for the feeling to pass. He felt as if his senses were robbed from him until he felt a hot liquid form in his right eye and drip down his cheeks.

Dipper watched in horror as Ford wiped his fingers across his cheek and stare at the liquid. It was a blackish red that dripped and stained his cheek. Blood. This hasn't happened since...

Suddenly, Ford's knees broke from beneath him and he tumbled to the hard concrete floor; almost hitting his head against his work bench.

"Oh god! Not again." Dipper groaned as he ran to Ford's side. He rolled him onto his back with all of the muscle he had and prepared to drag him towards the elevator.

As he saw Ford's blood gush from his eye and stain the floor, Dipper took off a layer of his shirt and held it to his uncle's eye as a sorry excuse for a bandage. "Oh man, you're bleeding like crazy." He panicked as the blood quickly soaked the whole shirt, and even smudged all over his palms, in a matter of seconds. He threw the drenched shirt to the floor, for it was useless now.

"Oh man! oh man, oh man, oh man! Okay, Okay, I-I'm gonna go get some help!" Dipper frantically yelled as he pushed himself off of his knees. Ford had fainted before, but never like this.

Before he could actually take a step, Dipper felt something fiercely grab his hand and pull him back with monsterous force. He landed on his back as the force pulled him to the ground. Quickly recovering from the fall, he looked to see Ford's hand wrapped around his wrist with a grip only a snake could muster. "Uh- Grunkle Ford?" Dipper squealed as the grip became tighter and tighter. "Ford!

The eye that bled shot wide open while the other stayed peacefully shut. In an instant, Ford sat up and met eyes with Dipper's. It was only one eye, but it was maniacal; monsterous. It was blood-shot red, as if he'd been stabbed.

Dipper screamed in terror as he frantically tried to pull away, but it was fultie for his grip only constricted.

"This isn't your fight, kid." Ford finally said. Although, it didn't sound like him. Sure it was his voice, but it wasn't him. "What ever happens- stay out of it!"

Everything screamed at Dipper to get away. Whatever Ford was saying, Dipper wasn't processing it. All he could think was to escape. Eventually Dipper felt his hand begin to run cold. A tingling numbness ran across his fingers; a feeling he couldn't bear. "Let me go!" He yelled as he tugged one last time. This time, he was finally able to get out of the crutches of Ford's grasp causing him to fall back; dropping his hat in the process. Holding his hand to his chest, he quickly crawled to his feet and sprinted towards the elevator.

He didn't care about anything else. After what he just saw, he just wanted to get away; to get out.

Inside the shaft, he rapidly pressed the 1st floor button until the door finally began to close. Every now and then he'd glance up to see if Ford was following him, but he only laid on his back; unmoving as if everything Dipper had witnessed was all in his imagination. But the pain in his wrist proved otherwise.

Dipper watched the elevator door slowly close on Ford's unconscious figure. He held his arm to his chest as though he would be able to reach all of the way into the elevator and grab it again. He gave it a quick glance; instantly noticing a bloody handprint wrapped around his wrist. Underneath the red print he could see a dark bruise where Ford's hand had been. It hurt although there was nothing there, and there was so much blood. So much...

Never in his life would Dipper have expected Ford would do that. To him especially. It wasn't like him. It wasn't him. Maybe some creature did something to him, or perhaps he was cursed. It couldn't have been Ford. Could it?

Dipper felt some sort of guilt for leaving Ford down there. Maybe he should have gone back down to see what the whole thing was about, but... he didn't want to even look at the man. Just the thought of it terrified the poor boy.

Throughout the whole summer, Dipper had been faced with many scary creatures and terrifying situations; some he was positive he wasn't going to survive. But never had he ever felt so scared than at that moment. It was only then that Dipper realized a tear trickling down his cheek. He couldn't help it.

* * *

 **Well this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written. My fingers do not disappoint!**

 **If I hadn't made it clear, Ford never told Dipper that Bill is capable of possessing his body. Mostly because Ford thought he couldn't do it anymore, so he didn't think it necessary. So Dipper's pretty much in the dark about what is happening.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked and I'll see you all next time! Remember to leave reviews. I love reading what you guys think!**


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